Washington: A half of Americans do not support US President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to increase tariffs on imports from China and Mexico, a survey conducted by research company Ipsos and the New York Times showed.
The survey, conducted from January 2-10 among 2,128 US adults, found that 50% of respondents opposed increased tariffs on imports from China and Mexico, while 46% supported them.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to introduce additional tariffs on exports from a number of countries, including 25% on goods coming from Mexico and 10% from China. The Wall Street Journal reported that the new duties could undermine global trade, causing serious damage to key sectors of the US economy, including the automotive industry, opening up new opportunities for China at international markets.
The poll found that 81% of those sampled believed Trump would follow through on his promise to raise import tariffs on Chinese and Mexican goods, while only 15% of respondents said this was not likely.
Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said earlier in the month that the US would not be able to pursue protectionist policies against both Mexico and China at the same time, as this would put the entire industrial complex at risk.
UNI
