World leaders blast suggestion of U.S. auto tariffs

Leaders from China, Japan, and the European Union on Thursday condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s call to investigate new tariffs on auto imports. The move is widely seen as an effort to force movement in negotiations with Mexico and Canada over the North American Free Trade Agreement. Mexico exports the most passenger vehicles and light trucks to the United States, followed by Japan, Canada, Germany, and South Korea, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Hiroshige Seko, Japan’s minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, warned new tariffs would “put the global market into turmoil.” A German business group blasted the move as “another nasty blow to our economic relations” and against global trade rules. Trump has reportedly suggested tariffs as high as 25 percent.