AFP - Squid Business

Semi-conducteurs et pharmacie: nouveaux droits de douane en vue aux Etats-Unis

Washington souffle le chaud et le froid sur l’économie mondiale: l’administration Trump a lancé lundi une première étape vers la mise en place de droits de douane sur la pharmacie et les semi-conducteurs, après avoir suspendu les surtaxes appliquées à l’électronique.Le ministère du Commerce a ouvert une enquête visant à déterminer si la prépondérance des importations dans ces deux secteurs présente un risque, ou non, pour la sécurité nationale.C’est à l’issue de ce type d’enquête que Donald Trump avait pu imposer des droits de douane sectoriels de 25% sur l’acier et l’aluminium ainsi que l’automobile.Le président américain n’a jamais caché sa volonté de pouvoir imposer rapidement une surtaxe sur les produits pharmaceutiques et les semi-conducteurs.Malgré l’exemption qui s’applique pour l’instant à ce secteur, le gouvernement sud-coréen a ainsi annoncé mardi qu’il comptait injecter 4,9 milliards de dollars supplémentaires dans l’industrie des semi-conducteurs, dont les Etats-Unis sont un important débouché, invoquant “l’incertitude croissante” concernant les droits de douane américains. Lundi, le principal conseiller économique du président américain, Kevin Hassett a assuré que “tous les secteurs seront couverts. La question est: quelle loi s’applique. Il s’agit de déterminer ce qui affecte la sécurité nationale. Si nous achetons quelque chose d’un autre pays, alors nous ne seront pas prêts en cas de guerre, s’ils décident de nous en priver”.Washington a également annoncé la fin d’un accord concernant l’importation sans taxe de tomates mexicaines, qui représentent plus de 90% des tomates importées aux Etats-Unis, et qui seront taxées à près de 21% dès mi-juillet.Des annonces qui tombent au moment où les marchés respirent après l’exemption vendredi des surtaxes touchant les produits électroniques, largement importés de Chine, désormais visée par des surtaxes de 145%.Wall Street a terminé sur une légère hausse, suivie par les Bourses de Tokyo et Séoul dans leurs premiers échanges mardi.Concernant l’automobile, Donald Trump s’est montré ouvert au compromis, se disant prêt à “regarder comment aider les constructeurs”, assurant qu’il ne voulait “faire de mal à personne”.- “Aller vite” -Même si la Chine est au premier chef dans le viseur, le secrétaire américain au Trésor Scott Bessent a estimé lundi qu’il n’y avait pas de raison pour que les économies des deux pays se dissocient.”Il y a un grand accord à réaliser à un moment donné”, a déclaré M. Bessent sur Bloomberg-TV.Il a reconnu qu’un tel accord serait plus difficile à atteindre qu’avec d’autres nations car “la Chine est à la fois notre plus grand concurrent économique et notre plus grand rival militaire. Donc cela va nécessiter une formule un peu spéciale”.S’agissant d’autres pays, M. Bessent a annoncé que les négociations bilatérales “vont aller vite” pour résoudre les différends douaniers. “Nous avons eu le Vietnam la semaine dernière, le Japon mercredi, la Corée du Sud la semaine prochaine”, a-t-il déclaré.Aux 145% de surtaxes cumulées imposées par Donald Trump aux produits chinois depuis son retour à la Maison Blanche, hors dispenses, Pékin a riposté en faisant bondir ses droits de douane à 125% depuis samedi.Une configuration qui pourrait créer un risque de récession et forcer la Réserve fédérale américaine, la Fed, à abaisser ses taux plus vite, quand bien même les droits de douane tireraient l’inflation à la hausse, a jugé lundi un de ses responsables, Christopher Waller.Dans ce contexte d’inquiétudes pour l’économie mondiale, l’Organisation des pays exportateurs de pétrole (Opep) a revu légèrement à la baisse sa prévision de croissance de la demande de pétrole pour 2025, citant notamment les droits de douane américains.Le protectionnisme “ne mène nulle part”, a répété le président chinois Xi Jinping, dans des propos rapportés lundi par l’agence officielle Chine Nouvelle.Tout en continuant à assommer la Chine, Donald Trump a semblé donner un peu de répit aux autres partenaires commerciaux des Etats-Unis, en les délestant mercredi pour 90 jours des tarifs douaniers annoncés auparavant, et en ne leur ajoutant plus que 10% de droits de douane.En visite à Washington, le commissaire européen au Commerce, Maros Sefcovic, a assuré que l’Union européenne (UE) était prête à trouver “un accord équitable” avec les Etats-Unis mais qu’un “effort conjoint significatif, de part et d’autre”, serait nécessaire pour y parvenir.

China’s economy likely grew 5.1% in Q1 on export surge: AFP poll

China is expected to post first-quarter growth of around five percent on Wednesday, buoyed by exporters rushing to stave off higher US tariffs but still weighed by sluggish domestic consumption, analysts say.Beijing and Washington are locked in a fast-moving, high-stakes game of brinkmanship since US President Donald Trump launched a global tariff assault that has particularly targeted Chinese imports.Tit-for-tat exchanges have seen US levies imposed on China rise to 145 percent, and Beijing setting a retaliatory 125 percent toll on US imports.Official data Wednesday will offer a first glimpse into how those trade war fears are affecting the Asian giant’s fragile economic recovery, which was already feeling the pressure of persistently low consumption and a property market debt crisis.Analysts polled by AFP forecast the world’s number two economy to have grown 5.1 percent from January to March — down from 5.4 the previous quarter.Figures released Monday showed Beijing’s exports soared more than 12 percent on-year in March, smashing expectations, with analysts attributed it to a “frontloading” of orders ahead of Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs on April 2.They also expect that to have boosted economic growth in the first quarter.However, they warned the GDP reading may prove to be a rare bright spot in a year that promises more woe for the world’s second-largest economy.”China’s economy is facing pressure on multiple fronts,” Sarah Tan, an economist at Moody’s Analytics, said.”The export bright spot is fading as tariff hikes from the US took effect,” she added.”Domestic demand remains sluggish amid elevated unemployment and a property market stuck in correction,” Tan said.The first quarter was likely “quite good”, Alicia Garcia-Herrero, Asia Pacific chief economist at Natixis, told AFP, but the second “will be much worse”.She pointed to “lots of additional exports to the US to avoid additional tariffs”.Also helping to prop up results during the period was the increased consumption during Lunar New Year celebrations when millions of people travelled back to their hometowns, she said.- Help wanted -Beijing announced a string of aggressive measures to reignite the economy last year, including interest rate cuts, cancelling restrictions on homebuying, hiking the debt ceiling for local governments and bolstering support for financial markets.But after a blistering market rally last year fuelled by hopes for a long-awaited “bazooka stimulus”, optimism waned as authorities refrained from providing a specific figure for the bailout or fleshing out any of the pledges.And analysts expect Beijing to jump in with extra support to cushion the tariff pain.Key to that will be stabilising the long-suffering real estate services sector, which now makes up six percent of GDP, according to analyst Guo Shan.”If China could withstand its real estate adjustment in the past three years, it should be able to manage the US tariffs, especially if it can stabilise the real estate sector this year,” Guo, a partner with Chinese consultancy firm Hutong Research, told AFP.Tan at Moody’s Analytics also said she expected Beijing to pull fiscal and monetary levers this year.”The government will roll out more stimulus targeted towards households, and the People’s Bank of China will likely slash key lending rates,” she added.China is trying to tariff-proof its economy by boosting consumption and investing in key industries.But the escalating rift between the two countries could hit hundreds of billions of dollars in trade and batter a key economic pillar made even more vital in the absence of vigorous domestic demand.”Against this backdrop, we consider significant downside risk to China’s GDP growth,” ANZ analysts wrote in a note.An “extreme scenario” would be China experiencing another external shock like it did in the 2008 financial crisis, analysts said.Growth in the second quarter would likely be worse given the tariff dynamics, Guo told AFP.”Exports will decline, and investment may also slow as uncertainties affect companies’ decision making,” Guo said.China’s top leaders last month set an ambitious annual growth target of around five percent, vowing to make domestic demand its main economic driver.Many economists consider that goal to be ambitious given the problems facing the economy.

Droits de douane: la Corée du Sud prévoit une aide supplémentaire massive pour les semi-conducteurs

Le gouvernement sud-coréen a annoncé mardi qu’il comptait injecter 4,9 milliards de dollars supplémentaires dans l’industrie des semi-conducteurs du pays, invoquant “l’incertitude croissante” à laquelle fait face ce secteur clé face aux droits de douane américains.”Un plan d’investissement budgétaire agressif a été prévu pour aider les entreprises locales à relever les défis croissants dans la course mondiale aux semi-conducteurs”, a déclaré le ministère sud-coréen des Finances dans un communiqué.La Corée du Sud exporte une grande partie de sa production vers les Etats-Unis et ses secteurs cruciaux des semi-conducteurs et de l’automobile souffriraient fortement des droits de douane de 25% que le président Donald Trump menace d’imposer.La Corée du Sud abrite notamment les géants des puces Samsung et SK Hynix.”Afin de favoriser un écosystème dynamique, mené par le secteur privé, pour l’innovation et la croissance des semi-conducteurs, le gouvernement augmentera ses investissements dans le secteur de 26.000 milliards de wons (18,2 milliards de dollars) à 33.000 milliards de wons (23,1 milliards de dollars)”, soit 4,9 milliards de dollars supplémentaires, a expliqué le ministère. Le président américain a annoncé le 2 avril une série de nouveaux droits de douane visant ses principaux partenaires commerciaux, dont une taxe de 25% sur les exportations sud-coréennes, avant de suspendre leur mise en œuvre pendant 90 jours. Malgré cela, “des droits de douane visant des secteurs spécifiques tels que les semi-conducteurs et les produits pharmaceutiques restent à l’horizon”, a insisté le ministre des Finances, Choi Sang-mok, lors d’une réunion.”Ce délai de grâce offre une fenêtre cruciale pour renforcer la compétitivité des entreprises sud-coréennes dans un contexte d’intensification des tensions commerciales mondiales”, a-t-il ajouté. Le paquet comprend des financements pour le développement des infrastructures, et les ressources humaines.Le plan d’aide fait partie d’une proposition de budget révisée en hausse de 12.000 milliards de wons (8,4 milliards de dollars), et doit être soumis au vote du Parlement.L’annonce des droits de douane, présentés par Donald Trump comme devant remédier au déficit commercial américain, a ébranlé les marchés boursiers du globe et accentué les inquiétudes pour la croissance mondiale.Le déficit commercial des Etats-Unis avec la Corée du Sud était l’an dernier de 66 milliards de dollars pour les échanges de biens.La semaine dernière, le gouvernement sud-coréen avait déjà dévoilé un plan d’aide d’urgence de 2 milliards de dollars pour aider les constructeurs automobiles à surmonter la tempête.

Droits de douane: la Corée du Sud prévoit une aide supplémentaire massive pour les semi-conducteurs

S. Korea govt plans $4.9 bn more help for semiconductors as US tariff risk bites

South Korea on Tuesday announced plans to invest an additional $4.9 billion in the country’s semiconductor industry, citing “growing uncertainty” over US tariffs.”An aggressive fiscal investment plan has been devised to help local firms navigate mounting challenges in the global semiconductor race,” the finance ministry said in a press release, adding the country’s chip support package would be increased by $4.9 billion.South Korea is a major exporter to the United States and its powerhouse semiconductor and auto industries would suffer greatly under President Donald Trump’s looming 25 percent tariffs.South Korea is home to the world’s largest memory chip maker Samsung, and largest memory chip supplier SK Hynix.South Korea’s finance ministry said “growing uncertainty” following rounds of US tariff threats had left the powerful industry clamouring for government support.”To foster a dynamic, private sector-led ecosystem for semiconductor innovation and growth, the government will increase its investment in the sector from 26 trillion won ($18.2 billion) to 33 trillion won ($23.1 billion),” said the ministry.On his so-called April 2 “Liberation Day,” Trump announced a slew of tariffs on trading partners across the world, including a 25-percent hit on South Korean goods, before backtracking and suspending their implementation for 90 days.Even so, “duties targeting specific sectors such as semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, remain on the horizon,” finance minister Choi Sang-mok said during a meeting. “This grace period offers a crucial window to strengthen the competitiveness of South Korean companies amid intensifying global trade tensions,” he added.”The government plans to expand support for the semiconductor industry, allocating 33 trillion won ($23.1 billion), with over 4 trillion won in fiscal spending set to be injected through 2026,” he said.The package includes funding for infrastucture development, including underground transmission lines at semiconductor clusters which are currently being built. “The government will boldly support investment by semiconductor companies,” said Choi. He added that the package includes securing talent for the industry.The investment is part of a large revised supplementary budget proposal of 12 trillion won ($8.4 billion), and is required to be passed by the National Assembly. – Talks next week -The tariffs announcement has rocked global stock markets, with investors uncertain over whether they are a negotiating tactic or permanent US position.Trump has insisted he will not back down until he has reduced or even wiped out US trade deficits — while simultaneously signalling that he is ready to negotiate with countries around the world.In 2024, the US trade deficit with South Korea amounted to just over $66 billion in goods.Last week the government in Seoul unveiled a $2 billion emergency support package to help carmakers weather the storm.South Korea’s auto-related exports to the United States totaled $42.9 billion last year, according to officials.Last week, Trump spoke to South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is acting as president since former leader Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office for attempting to subvert civilian rule.US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that trade talks with South Korea would take place next week.

Harvard sees $2.2 billion in funding frozen after defying Trump

Elite US university Harvard was hit with a $2.2 billion freeze in federal funding Monday after rejecting a list of sweeping demands that the White House said was intended to crack down on campus anti-Semitism.The call for changes to its governance, hiring practices and admissions procedures expands on a list Harvard received on April 3, which ordered officials to shut diversity offices and cooperate with immigration authorities for screenings of international students.Harvard president Alan Garber vowed in a letter to students and faculty to defy the government, insisting that the school would not “negotiate over its independence or its constitutional rights.”Trump’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism responded with a statement announcing the $2.2 billion hold in multi-year grants, plus a freeze on $60 million in government contracts. “Harvard’s statement today reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges — that federal investment does not come with the responsibility to uphold civil rights laws,” it said.”The disruption of learning that has plagued campuses in recent years is unacceptable. The harassment of Jewish students is intolerable. It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to meaningful change if they wish to continue receiving taxpayer support.” Campuses across the country were rocked last year by student protests against Israel’s war in Gaza, with some resulting in violent clashes involving police and pro-Israel counter-protesters.Trump and other Republicans have accused the activists of supporting Hamas, a US-designated terrorist group whose deadly attack on October 7, 2023 against Israel sparked the conflict.The Department of Education announced in March that it had opened an investigation into 60 colleges and universities for alleged “anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination.”Garber’s letter came after the administration placed $9 billion in federal funding to Harvard and its affiliates under review, making its first demands.On Friday, the government sent Harvard a much more detailed list demanding an “audit” of the views of students and faculty, which the university made public.- ‘Raging anti-Semitism’ -Harvard generated an operating surplus of $45 million on a revenue base of $6.5 billion in the last financial year.Garber said the school was “open to new information and different perspectives” but would not agree to demands that “go beyond the lawful authority of this or any administration.””No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” Garber said.Top Republican congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who was lauded by Trump last year for aggressive questioning of universities over anti-Semitism, called for Harvard to be defunded, calling it “the epitome of the moral and academic rot in higher education.”The New York firebrand, seen as one of the most vocal supporters in Congress of Israel and US Jewish causes, accused the university of tolerating “raging anti-Semitism.”Harvard’s response to the White House’s demands was in sharp contrast to the approach taken by Columbia University, the epicenter of last year’s pro-Palestinian protests.The Trump administration cut $400 million in grants to the private New York school, accusing it of failing to protect Jewish students from harassment as protesters rallied against Israel’s Gaza offensive.The school responded by agreeing to reform student disciplinary procedures and hiring 36 officers to expand its security team.As well as the funding cut, immigration officers have targeted two organizers of the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia: Mahmoud Khalil, whom the government is seeking to deport, and Mohsen Mahdawi, who was arrested Monday as he attended an interview to become a US citizen.

Droits de douane: la Corée du Sud prévoit une aide supplémentaire pour les semi-conducteurs

Man charged with attempted ‘Molotov cocktails’ murder of top US Democrat

US prosecutors charged a man on Monday with the attempted murder of Democratic heavyweight and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro after a weekend arson attack at his official residence, court filings showed.Cody Balmer, 38, who was charged with attempted criminal homicide along with seven other offenses — including terrorism affecting the government and prowling at nighttime — was denied bail. He told police he harbored “hatred towards Shapiro,” who is Jewish and earlier in the night had marked the first night of the Passover holiday with friends and family.Shapiro has said he would not be intimidated in observing his faith following what prosecutors called a “homemade Molotov cocktails” attack.Asked what he would have done had he encountered Shapiro in the residence, Balmer told investigators he would “have beaten him with his hammer.”Shapiro, widely viewed as a potential 2028 presidential contender, was inside with his family when the fire broke out in a different part of the Georgian-style mansion in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on Sunday, state police said.”While the fire was successfully extinguished, it caused a significant amount of damage to a portion of the residence,” the force said in a statement. No casualties were reported.Shapiro said that he and his sleeping family were woken up by a police trooper who “banged on our door” at around 2:00 am local time (0600 GMT) and that they were evacuated from the building.”Thank God no one was injured and the fire was extinguished,” he said. Speaking to reporters outside the residence, with fire damage visible behind him, Shapiro made a forceful appeal for an end to political violence.”This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society, and I don’t give a damn if it’s coming from one particular side or the other… it is not OK, and it has to stop,” he said.Police said in charging documents released Monday that Balmer was captured on surveillance cameras climbing a perimeter fence, breaking a window and throwing a gasoline-filled Heineken beer bottle, before breaking another window, entering the residence and igniting another bottle.He then fled the property.- ‘Disgusting violence’ -An ex-lover of Balmer called police and reported that the alleged arsonist wanted to hand himself in, the criminal complaint alleges.Balmer then subsequently walked up to state police headquarters and told an officer he was responsible for the blaze.At a hearing, Balmer was arraigned before Judge Dale Klein and was denied bail, a court official said. He is next due in court on April 23.Top Republican officials reacted to the attack Sunday, with US Attorney General Pam Bondi saying on X she was “deeply relieved that Governor Shapiro and his family are safe.”Vice President JD Vance called the attack “really disgusting violence” and said he hopes “whoever did it is brought swiftly to justice.”President Donald Trump, who survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania last year, called Shapiro’s assailant on Monday a “whack job,” adding that “certainly a thing like that can not be allowed to happen.”The 51-year-old Shapiro was in the race to be Democrat Kamala Harris’s running mate in her ultimately unsuccessful US presidential bid — a position that instead went to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.Shapiro, an assertive political centrist, was elected governor of Pennsylvania in 2022 when he faced off against a far-right candidate backed by Trump.