STORY: U.S. tariff hikes will only hurt American people: Zambian expert
SHOOTING TIME: recent footage
DATELINE: Feb. 14, 2025
LENGTH: 00:01:09
LOCATION: Lusaka
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the White House
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): YUSUF DODIA, Business consultant, Chairperson of PSDA
3. various of street views of Washington D.C.
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): YUSUF DODIA, Business consultant, Chairperson of PSDA
5. various of street views of Washington D.C.
6. various of views of Canada, Mexico

STORYLINE:

The U.S. government's decision to impose tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China will ultimately harm American consumers by driving up prices, said a Zambian expert.

Yusuf Dodia, a business consultant and the Chairperson of the Private Sector Development Association (PSDA), said the tariffs will make goods imported from Canada, Mexico, and China more expensive. 

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): YUSUF DODIA, Business consultant, Chairperson of PSDA
"It will hurt the American economy in the sense that America will pay more for products brought into the United States than it's paying today. And those products will not stop coming into the United States, they will continue coming into the United States, purely because the American industry cannot support the supply of these products."

He stated that the tariffs were implemented without adequate consideration of the consequences. He emphasized that the U.S. should have prioritized developing its domestic industry before imposing such measures.

When asked about the potential impact on global trade, Dodia warned that the tariffs could lead other countries to avoid trading with the U.S. and seek alternative markets instead.

SOUNDBITE 2 (ENGLISH): YUSUF DODIA, Business consultant, Chairperson of PSDA
"The implications on global trade of such an imposition of tariffs by the United States is that it will make other countries recognize that the United States is not interested in buying products from them. And so these other countries are going to look for alternate markets." 

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Feb. 1 a 25-percent additional tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, and 10 percent on imports from China.

However, on Feb 3, Trump held off on his tariff threats against Mexico and Canada for 30 days after a last-minute deal with the two countries for further negotiations.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Lusaka.
(XHTV)