The European Commission condemned the US’ imposition of tariffs on Mexico and Canada today, but pointedly refused to comment on Washington’s introduction of additional duties on China.

The tariffs on Mexico and Canada “threaten deeply integrated supply chains, investment flows, and economic stability across the Atlantic,” European Commission spokesperson Olof Gill said in a statement.

“The EU stands firmly against protectionist measures that undermine open and fair trade,” he added. “We call on the US to reconsider its approach and work towards a cooperative, rules-based solution that benefits all parties.”

The Commission’s statement follows Donald Trump’s imposition of blanket 25% duties on Mexico and Canada and an additional 10% duty on China, which came into effect at 6:01 am CET today.

The tariffs on Mexico City and Ottawa were originally set to be imposed in February, but were delayed for a month after both countries pledged to crack down on illegal immigration and drug smuggling across their respective borders with the US.

As for China, the new tariff piles on top of another 10% duty from last month, bringing the total US levy on Chinese goods to 20%.

Gill told Euractiv that the EU executive will not comment on the new US duties on Beijing.

The duties come amid growing efforts by European officials to seek common cause with Washington on China to fend off its own potential tariff headaches.

In a veiled reference to Beijing, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after a meeting last month with US Vice-President JD Vance that Brussels and Washington should address “shared challenges as allies,” including “the critical challenge of non-market capacity.”

EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič similarly noted during a recent visit to the US that Washington and Brussels should “try to work together” to address “the real problem” of “global overcapacity.”

Beijing’s state-led industrial policy has long been criticised by Washington and Brussels for flooding their markets with cheap manufactured exports.

Canada announced retaliatory 25% duties on $20 billion worth of US imports today. Ottawa also threatened to introduce additional levies on goods valued at around $90 billion if Trump’s tariffs remain.

Beijing similarly announced 15% retaliatory tariffs on US cotton and 10-15% levies on a range of US agricultural products. It also introduced additional export controls to the US of so-called “dual-use” items, which have both civilian and military applications.

Mexico is expected to announce retaliatory duties later today.

The duties have triggered a muted market response, with the value of the Canadian dollar and Mexican peso falling less than 1% against the US dollar since this morning.

“There is still some market doubt as to whether all these tariffs will persist for a prolonged period of time,” analysts at Deutsche Bank wrote in a note today, pointing to the small decline in the Canadian dollar. “But we are clearly into unprecedented territory.”

[MM]