Since Trump imposes tariffs for “no exception”, Asian allies hope for cancellation | Donald Trump

When the United States President Donald Trump announced his last Tariffs for steel and aluminum This week he insisted that there were no “no exceptions, no exceptions.”

Washington's closest allies in the Asia-Pacific region hope that they will be able to change the minds of US president of the US American.

Japan, South Korea and Australia, US Treaties allies with export economies, all have confirmed that they are looking for exceptions to Trump and Aluminum's 25 % rates.

Trump has promised Tracking Against imported steel and aluminum with wider reciprocal tariffs that could potentially cover a far wider spectrum of goods on countries that require US export levies immediately after Thursday.

“We will take the necessary measures, including lobbying the United States for release, while monitoring any possible impact on the Japanese economy,” Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who met Trump in Washington last week, told Parliament on Wednesday.

Tokyo's efforts to swing Trump will probably include commitments to increase US imports.

The US trade deficit with Japan amounts to about $ 70 billion last year, most of all, as a result of exports from Japanese car manufacturers such as Toyota, Honda and Nissan.

Tokyo is also likely to emphasize its importance as an ally in the confrontation of China in the region and “its technical advantage, which is desperately needed by the United States to take on a leading role in the new strategic industries,” said Shigo Nagai, Head of the Oxford Economy.

“Japan is enjoying a large trade surplus with the US for machines, which gives the United States an incentive to impose tariffs,” Nagai told Al Jazeera.

“At the same time, the technological advantage of Japanese machines such as semiconductor equipment and materials will make it difficult to quickly find substitutes.”

After their White House conversations on FridayTrump and Ishiba have released a joint statement recognizing Republicans' agenda to raise the domestic industry, including the promise of strengthening energy security by “deploying affordable and reliable energy and natural resources of the United States.”

At the same time, Ishiba impressed Trump that Japan has been the largest foreign investor in the United States in the last five years, managing and announced plans for $ 1 trillion for additional investments, including artificial intelligence.

“My feeling is that this (tariff exceptions) remains negotiable,” Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) told Al Jazeera Abe.

“Adverse effects on the US economy would not be small if the relationship between the two was seriously damaged. And that would not be the best choice even for the United States. “

Although the contours of his second administration's political priorities are still evolving, Trump has taken over his reputation that he is a fan of a deal with him from his first term.

Although he insists that Its tariffs will apply to all sides, Trump almost immediately left the door open to Australia, saying he would pay “great attention” to release.

“We have an excess with Australia, one of the few,” Trump said.

Trump's senior trading and production adviser, Peter Navarro, poured cold water on these hopes the next day, claiming that Australia was “killing” the US aluminum market.

Australia's aluminum exports grew after Trump first took office in 2016, reaching about 269,000 tonnes in 2019.

The export has been hesitant since then, entering 83,000 tonnes in 2024, which is less than 210,000 in the previous year.

“Overall, the Second Trump Administration acts both more without no more than the first, so that allies such as Japan – both Australia and NATO/EU allies (European Union) – will continue to face highly variable and difficult diplomatic diplomatic A situation that will be a very skillful leadership, “said Craig Mark, Assistant Economics Leak in Hosei in Tokyo, Al Jazeera told.

During his first term, Trump did not adopt the sole approach to providing reconstructions to friendly countries and allies.

In 2018, its administration released Australia from steel and aluminum rates and provided South Korea to South Korea without a peaceful steel quota up to 2.63 million tonnes.

But his administration did not expand such relief to Japan.

Former US President Joe Biden's administration has eased Japanese steel tariffs in 2022, agreeing to allow 1.25 million metric tonnes to enter the United States every year, retaining aluminum tariffs.

“The experience of Trump's first administration shows how Japan can again be the goal of US tariffs, despite all its diplomatic efforts,” says Mark, Hosei University, said former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe went to Great Lengths to build close personal relationships with Trump. “

Although Trump has a “much more expansive view of his remitation” compared to his first term and views tariffs as a “truly valuable tool that can be used to solve countless problems”, the overwhelming characteristic of his administration is uncertain, Deborah Elms, the head of commercial policy at the Hinrich Foundation in Singapore, said.

Elms said he was not sure Trump himself would be able to give answers to his policy or goals, “or if he would, his answers would now be the same as what he could say at another hour or day or day Week. “

“Because it is a driving policy – at least for the moment – this lack of clarity matters,” Elms told Al Jazeera.