I suspect they've taken a list of states & territories from either Wikipedia or the CIA world factbook
How else do British overseas territories with literally zero permanent inhabitants end up on the list, alongside "Svalbard & Jan Mayen" being tariffed separately from Norway etc
It might be in order of “tariffs charged” (their calculation) x a trade volume or balance figure? That seems to sort of fit (and would produce a list of countries ordered by Size of the Problem, as they see it).
Big country, quite rich, lots of stuff rooted through china, Bangkok probably a big re-exporting port. Why not. Canada and Mexico missed off too. And 20?+ EU countries missing. Is Thailand 30th? Yeah maybe.
I think I know this one! 🙋♀️ Prince Harry has historically had strong connections there, so it’s probably spite against them for liking Harry and meghan - evil symbols of wokery that they are
I just looked up the Heard and McDonald Islands. It's a collection of small islands in the Antarctic with a population of zero. How much penguin guano is the US importing, anyway?
Im sure it isnt this but during apartheid if you wanted to leave South Africa and had limited options/money Lesotho was your option. Also offered asylum to notable protestors.
Now we know its based on trade deficit, Lesotho is surrounded by South Africa, and in a customs union with SA, US exports for Lesotho get imported into SA, so US Lesotho trade gets a technical 0 per some excise methods. So Lesotho's tiny exports to the US generate a technical 100% trade deficit.
I can elaborate now: it’s trade deficit divided by exports. Not made up per se, just not related to tariffs at all. Formula most likely developed by ChatGPT.
The US specifically gave them and other African countries a very preferable trade arrangement to boost their economies. Which then reoriented around that opportunity. Which has now been taken away overnight. Just utter madness.
Leaving all else aside: China is going to clean up, geopolitical-sphere-of-influence wise, if they happen to be in the mood for another African trade deal or two (they are)
Just checked and places like foot locker do source leather there but tbh their GDP is somewhere between 2 and 6 billion depending on how you measure so it’s not going to be…much
It’s incredibly unimportant in the grand scheme of things, but it’s also really annoyed me that the countries are listed in an apparently random order. It’s not alphabetical, geographical, by population, by tariff size…
But Elon Musk was opposed to apartheid. Shit, even *Errol* Musk was opposed to apartheid. It’s not “they sheltered anti apartheid activists 35 years ago”
It’s a matter of record that he opposed it, it’s a matter of record his father opposed it. He left South Africa before Mandela was released to avoid national service. Errol Musk stayed in South Africa. The fact his grandfather (who died when musk was *3*) moved there for apartheid is irrelevant
The column on the left is seems to be "a number we decided what you are charging us that we will halve and set as a tariff" with the "trade barriers and currency manipulation" bit beiing what ever the brain worms/cocaine/syphilis/FSB handler told them to set.
Aren't you reading it wrong? They're claiming Lesotho charges 99% on US imports to Lesotho and are going to charge 50% reciprocal tariffs on Lesotho imports to US.
Yes, but bear in mind it appears their methodology is just net balance of payments (which is idiotic but anyway).
So it would appear Lesotho buys nothing from the US - I mean I would imagine most stuff there comes via SA and I bet they didn't allow for indirect exports...
Comments
How else do British overseas territories with literally zero permanent inhabitants end up on the list, alongside "Svalbard & Jan Mayen" being tariffed separately from Norway etc
https://bsky.app/profile/davidfickling.bsky.social/post/3lluzuseuls2s
https://bsky.app/profile/amyhoy.bsky.social/post/3lluo7jmsss2w
MADNESS
https://bsky.app/profile/crampell.bsky.social/post/3llurg3sd5k2f
What the fuck does the Falklands export to the US?
I dont believe it was colonized in the same way much of Africa was
Those were my first thoughts
You may as well put a tariff on exports from Button Moon
https://www.unhcr.org/uk/news/feature-lesotho-marks-end-era-apartheids-refugees
But if they have significant natural resources they will have high value exports.
So they will show as having a large trade surplus/America having a huge trade deficit with them.
Basically theyre gonna be punished for having Diamonds.
So it would appear Lesotho buys nothing from the US - I mean I would imagine most stuff there comes via SA and I bet they didn't allow for indirect exports...