US trading partners in Asia started weighing fresh uncertainties on Saturday.

HONG KONG: US trading partners in Asia started weighing fresh uncertainties on Saturday (Feb 21) after President Donald Trump vowed to impose a new tariff on imports, hours after the Supreme Court struck down many of the sweeping levies he used to launch a global trade war. The court's ruling invalidated a number of tariffs that the Trump administration had imposed on Asian export powerhouses from China and South Korea to Japan and Taiwan, the world's largest chip maker and a key player in tech supply chains. Within hours, Trump said he would impose a new 10 per cent duty on US imports from all countries starting on Tuesday for an initial 150 days under a different law, prompting analysts to warn that more measures could follow, threatening more confusion for businesses and investors. In Japan, a government spokesman said Tokyo "will carefully examine the content of this ruling and the Trump administration's response to it, and respond appropriately". Subscribe to CNA’s Morning Brief An automated curation of our top stories to start your day. This service is not intended for persons residing in the E.U. By clicking subscribe, I agree to receive news updates and promotional material from Mediacorp and Mediacorp’s partners. Loading China, which is preparing to host Trump in late March, has yet to formally comment or launch any counter moves with the country on an extended holiday. But a senior financial official in China-ruled Hong Kong described the US situation as a "fiasco". Christopher Hui, Hong Kong's secretary for financial services and the treasury, Trump's new levy served to underscore Hong Kong's "unique trade advantages", Hui said. "This shows the stability of Hong Kong's policies and our certainty ... it shows global investors the importance of predictability," Hui said at a media briefing on Saturday when asked how the new US tariff's would affect the city's economy. Hong Kong operates as a separate customs territory from mainland China, a status that has shielded it from direct exposure to US tariffs targeting Chinese goods. While Washington has imposed duties on mainland exports, Hong Kong-made products have generally faced lower tariff rates, allowing the city to maintain trade flows even as Sino-US tensions escalated. Before the Supreme Court's ruling, Trump's tariff push had strained Washington's diplomatic relations across Asia, particularly for export-reliant economies integrated into US-bound supply chains. Friday's ruling concerns only the tariffs launched by Trump on the basis of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, intended for national emergencies. Trade policy monitor Global Trade Alert estimated that by itself, the ruling cuts the trade-weighted average US tariff almost in half from 15.4 per cent to 8.3 per cent. For those countries on higher US tariff levels, the change is more dramatic. For China, Brazil and India, it will mean double-digit percentage point cuts, albeit to still-high levels. In Taiwan, the government said it was monitoring the situation closely, noting that the US government had yet to determine how to fully implement its trade deals with many countries. "While the initial impact on Taiwan appears limited, the government will closely monitor developments and maintain close communication with the US to understand specific implementation details and respond appropriately," a cabinet statement said. Taiwan has signed two recent deals with the US - one was a Memorandum of Understanding last month that committed Taiwan to invest US$250 billion and the second was signed this month to lowering reciprocal tariffs. MORE CONFUSION Analysts say the Supreme Court's ruling against Trump's more aggressive tariff measures may offer little relief for the global economy. They warned of looming confusion as trading nations brace for moves by Trump to find other means of using levies to circumvent the ruling. Thailand's Trade Policy and Strategy Office head Nantapong Chiralerspong said the ruling might even benefit its exports as uncertainty drove a fresh round of "front loading", where shippers race to move goods to the US, fearing even higher tariffs. In corporate disclosures tracked by Reuters, firms across the Asia‑Pacific region reported financial hits, supply shifts and withdrawals as levies escalated through 2025 and early 2026. EU, US NEIGHBOURS CAUTIOUSLY WELCOME TARIFF RULING EU trade spokesman Olof Gill said that the 27-nation bloc was closely analysing the ruling. "We remain in close contact with the US Administration as we seek clarity on the steps they intend to take in response to this ruling," he said, stressing the need for "stability and predictability" in trade. France's economy minister Roland Lescure said the ruling showed that tariffs are "at the very least, open to debate". The German government told AFP it was in "close contact with the American government to obtain clarifications on the next steps". German industry group BDI was upbeat, with board member Wolfgang Niedermark saying the ruling was "clear proof that the separation of powers in the USA is still going strong". Britain's government said that it expects its "privileged trading position with the US to continue". The close allies reached a trade deal last May that lifted tariffs on UK steel and aluminium products and slashed levies on British car exports from 27.5 per cent to 10 per cent. "We will work with the administration to understand how the ruling will affect tariffs for the UK and the rest of the world," a government spokesperson said. Canadian International Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the ruling reinforces Ottawa's position that the levies were "unjustified". But he noted that the tariffs causing the most pain in Canada - sector-specific measures affecting the steel, aluminium, and auto industries - remained in force. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce cautioned against viewing the court's decision as "a reset of US trade policy". "Canada should prepare for new, blunter mechanisms to be used to reassert trade pressure, potentially with broader and more disruptive effects," the chamber's president, Candace Laing, said in a statement. Mexico, which sends 80 per cent of its exports to the United States, said it was studying the possible effects of the 10-per cent general tariff that Trump announced after the court verdict. "First, we're going to see what measures they will take to determine how this will affect our country," Mexican Economic Minister Marcelo Ebrard said.

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