New US Tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico Take Effect
Global Gold Chain
 On March 4th, 2025, the Trump administration enacted new import tariffs on goods entering the United States. This briefing summarizes the considerations and implications for cold chain operations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the wider global trading system.
- 25% tariff on all imported goods from Canada and Mexico (except for energy from Canada, which is subject to a reduced 10% tariff)
- An additional 10% tariff imposed on all goods imported from China – this follows the 10% imposed on the 2nd of February and so is a cumulative 20% increase.
Further Measures
Also, in recent days, the administration has suggested further action that will include
- Agrifood tariffs – In a social media post on 3rd March, the President stated that further tariffs would be imposed on all imported agricultural goods from April 2nd. It is not clear whether this will apply to all goods or selected goods and if these would be in addition to the blanket tariffs imposed so far.
- Reciprocal Tariffs Plan – On 13th February, the administration published the ‘Fair and Reciprocal Plan’ in which the President mandates the creation of a comprehensive plan for ‘restoring fairness in U.S. trade relationships and countering non-reciprocal trading arrangements. within 180 days or by mid-August’ In the associated briefings, the administration made clear that this plan would look not just at direct tariffs but indirect discrimination like value added, and sales taxes imposed on U.S. goods.
- Port Entry Charge – The U.S. Trade Representative’s office has published a draft proposal to implement a new charge of up to $1.5 million per landing every time a company using a Chinese-built vessel enters a U.S. port. This is a move seen to counter the dramatic shift in global shipbuilding away from the U.S. to China but will have a direct impact on shipping costs of imported goods.
Response
The three affected nations have all responded and are expected to take further steps as developments continue
- China – China has reacted to the second wave by announcing a wave of import levies covering $21 billion worth of American agricultural and food products. China is one of U.S. agriculture’s biggest customers for produce such as chicken, beef, pork and soybeans and now all those products will face a 10-15% tax which will come into effect on 10 March.
- Mexico – Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is expected to announce retaliatory actions in coming days.
A fuller briefing is available to members on request to [email protected]
 The Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) is an international association representing all major industries engaged in temperature-controlled warehousing, logistics and transportation. GCCA unites all partners to be innovative leaders in the movement of perishable products globally.
Our vision is to establish a universally robust cold chain, ensuring the preservation of quality and safety throughout every link.
Our mission is to foster growth within the industry and attain a leadership position within the cold chain sector.
Rooted in the foundation of each of these core partner associations, our history dates back to 1891 for the International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses, 1994 for the International Refrigerated Transportation Association, and 1978 for the Controlled Environment Building Association.
In 2007, these organizations came together under the united umbrella organization, the Global Cold Chain Alliance, to serve as the focused voice of the cold chain industry, providing a platform for communication, networking and education for every link of the cold chain across the world.
www.gcca.org
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