Trade conflict in no man's land Trump imposes tariffs on islands - but only penguins live there
In the middle of the Indian Ocean, without any economic power, lie the Heard and McDonald Islands. But even such remote ice worlds are not spared from Trump's tariffs.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The USA under President Trump is imposing new tariffs even on remote and economically irrelevant areas.
- For example, the uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands are affected.
- Trump's tariff policy apparently applies globally, regardless of the economic importance or population of the affected regions.
President Donald Trump has not only targeted trading powers with his new tariffs - but also places without a population or functioning economy. These include the Heard and McDonald Islands, Australian outlying territories in the southern Indian Ocean, which are now subject to 10 percent tariffs. At least they have only received the minimum rate imposed by the Trump administration.
The islands are located about 4099 kilometers southwest of Perth, Australia, and about 1630 kilometers north of Antarctica. The land is predominantly mountainous and covered by glaciers. Due to their unique ecosystem, the Heard and McDonald Islands were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. And: apart from huge penguin colonies, the islands are uninhabited.
Visits to Heard Island typically focus on terrestrial and marine research and rare private expeditions. There is no local economic activity.
50 percent tariff for French island
With the Cocos Islands, another Australian territory with around 600 inhabitants is affected by the US customs round. There, too, a 10 percent duty is due - the Cocos Islands also get off relatively lightly with the minimum rate.
However, the French overseas territory of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon near Newfoundland has been hit particularly hard: the 5,000 inhabitants mainly export crustaceans - these are now subject to a whopping 50 percent duty, significantly more than the 20 percent for France itself.
Lesotho, a landlocked country in South Africa with a population of 2.2 million, is on a par with this record levy. 20 percent of its exports, including diamonds and wool, go to the USA - these are now also subject to a 50 percent duty.
Even if these places are of little economic importance, Trump's measures show: No corner of the world is safe from his trade policy.
