Zimbabwe, Taiwan, and Vietnam have expressed their willingness to eliminate tariffs on American products or negotiate for duty-free agreements in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's high reciprocal tariff policy, but the U.S. side responded coldly, noting that the measures are 'insufficient.'
Emmerson Mnangagwa, the president of Zimbabwe, stated on the 6th (local time) via X (formerly Twitter) that he would direct the suspension of all tariffs imposed on American products, saying, 'This is a measure for a positive relationship based on mutual benefit with the United States, and I expect this will expand Zimbabwe's exports to the U.S.' He also added, 'We aim for friendly relations with all countries and avoid hostile diplomacy.'
Subsequently, Taiwan and Vietnam also expressed their intention to negotiate for a duty-free agreement with the United States.
However, Peter Navarro, the White House trade advisor overseeing the tariff policy of the Trump administration, emphasized that 'simple tariff elimination does not meet U.S. demands,' indicating that the goal is to achieve the reshoring of manufacturing through its tariff policy. In other words, reducing tariffs on American imports alone would make it difficult to achieve any suspension or reduction of tariffs.
Earlier, the United States implemented a 10% basic tariff on the 5th and, on the 8th, imposed a reciprocal tariff by country on 57 nations. Less than a day later, it decided on a 90-day suspension for some countries. Zimbabwe had a reciprocal tariff of 18% anticipated.
President Mnangagwa's announcement to suspend tariffs came before the U.S. announcement of its suspension measures, and it has yet to be confirmed whether Zimbabwe's tariffs on the U.S. have actually been eliminated.