Trump announced the latest tariff policy at the White House this morning on 7/24, stating that tax rates will be raised from the original 10% to 15-50% because there are too many trading partners to negotiate with individually, so he will directly impose taxes in a "simple and clear" manner. At the same time, he also issued the "US AI Action Plan" and significantly relaxed data center regulations to fully promote domestic AI industry development.
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ToggleUS Global Tariffs Raised from 10% to 15-50%
Trump clearly stated that global tariffs will rise from 10% to 15-50% in the future, with countries having poor relations with the US potentially facing up to 50% tariffs. In early July, Trump had sent notification letters to 150 global trading partners, indicating tax rates would be around 10% to 15%, but no final decision had been made.
US Commerce Secretary Lutnick added that smaller countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa might maintain a 10% base tax rate, but such preferential treatment is no longer guaranteed.
Japan Takes the Lead, EU, South Korea, and India in Negotiations
Trump emphasized that he cannot negotiate with every country, so he wants a "very simple" tariff system, treating the tariff letters as agreements themselves. However, he left room for negotiation, suggesting that countries willing to open their markets to US companies might see lower tax rates.
Japan took the lead, reducing its tax rate from 25% to 15% with conditions including removing some US product import restrictions and investing $550 billion in the US. Other trading partners like the EU, South Korea, and India are still negotiating, hoping to reach an agreement before the August 1st deadline. Trump reiterated:
"If they are willing to open their markets to US companies, we will let them pay lower tariffs, and currently, negotiations with the EU are a bit tense."
(US-Japan Trade Agreement Reached! Trump Says Japan Will Invest $550 Billion in the US, Tariffs on Japan Reduced to 15%)
Issued the "US AI Action Plan", Promoting Energy and Data Center Construction
Simultaneously, Trump released the "US AI Action Plan", recognizing that AI development requires massive energy and computing power. He directly named "relaxing data center regulations to promote its development" as a core strategy. Here are the plan's key points:
- Government contracts will prioritize cutting-edge large language model (LLM) developers.
- Relax environmental regulations for data center construction to accelerate approval permits.
- Strengthen the US energy grid and invest in alternative energy technologies like nuclear fusion and fission to ensure stable power supply.
He also reiterated the goal of bringing AI core chip and processor manufacturing capabilities back to the US mainland, reducing dependence on foreign supply chains.
Global Tariff Uncertainty Remains High, AI Giants' Monopoly Risk Increases
Overall, Trump uses high tariffs to pressure for more favorable market access conditions. While this negotiation strategy seems effective, it may also provoke retaliatory measures from global countries, causing supply chain fluctuations and increased market uncertainty.
The AI action plan, by relaxing environmental regulations and concentrating government contracts on technologically leading LLM developers, may further concentrate market competition and advantages among a few AI giants, potentially limiting the development space for small and medium-sized enterprises and gradually revealing monopoly risks.
(NVIDIA Jensen Huang: US-China Competition and Cooperation Can Coexist, Global Supply Chains Will Not Decouple)
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