Скачать или смотреть Mexico tariffs loom as both sides continue talks

(7 Jun 2019) President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs on Mexico are set to take effect Monday as planned, the White House said Friday, even as negotiators continued to meet to try to stave off his latest push to force the U.S. ally to stem the flow of Central American migrants into the United States.
Associated Press Reporter Chris Rugaber explains the impact the tariffs will have on U.S. consumers.
"Tariffs are paid by the importing country, businesses and consumers," said Rugaber.
"So these would be paid by American companies or consumers but it also may reduce imports from Mexico and that would hurt Mexican companies in some cases so they may decide to do at least part of most of what the president is asking."
The initial 5% tax on all Mexican goods , which would increase every month up to 25%, could ultimately have enormous economic implications for both countries.
Americans bought $378 billion worth of Mexican imports last year, led by cars and auto parts.
Many members of Trump's Republican Party and business allies have urged him to reconsider, or at least postpone actually implementing the tariffs as talks continue, citing the potential harm to American consumers and manufactures.
Trump has nonetheless embraced tariffs as a political tool he can use to force countries to comply with his demands - in this case on his signature issue of immigration.
"Many economists see that as a definite threat to the growth of the economy this year and next," said Rugaber.
"Some people say you could shave growth by as much a half percentage point. You could see a slowdown in hiring, we already saw weak job growth in May, only 75,000 jobs and the fear is that that will only worsen if the tariffs are kept on for for months or many months at a time."
During the first round of talks Wednesday, the gulf between the countries was clear. Mexico offered small and so far undisclosed concessions; the U.S. demanded major action.
The U.S. once again pressed Mexico to step up enforcement on its southern border and to enter into a "safe third country agreement" that would make it difficult for those who enter Mexico from other countries to claim asylum in the U.S. Mexico has long resisted that request.
Trump officials have said Mexico can prevent the tariffs by securing its southern border with Guatemala, cracking down on criminal smuggling organizations and overhauling its asylum system.  
But the U.S. has not proposed concrete benchmarks to assess whether Mexico is complying, and it is unclear whether even those steps would be enough to satisfy Trump on illegal immigration, an issue he sees as crucial to his 2020 re-election campaign.

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