With Trump’s Tariffs, the Chasm Between Allies and the U.S. Widens

President Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariffs on America’s trading partners has widened the rift between the United States and some of its closest allies, while reconfiguring the global economic order.

Mr. Trump’s plan, which he unveiled on Wednesday and is calling “reciprocal,” would impose a wave of tariffs on dozens of countries. The European Union will face 20 percent tariffs, but the heavier levies will fall on countries in Asia, hitting friends and foes alike. Security partners Japan and South Korea will face tariffs of 24 and 26 percent respectively, while China will absorb an additional 34 percent on top of existing levies.

Some leaders reacted strongly to the wave of tariffs, which many see as overturning the global trade order that the United States established after World War II.

“The global economy will massively suffer,” Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said in a statement Thursday. “Uncertainty will spiral, and trigger the rise of further protectionism.”

While many countries seemed at a loss as to how to react, at least one seized the moment to score political points. China turned the tables on the United States by condemning the tariffs as a “unilateral” violation of international rules — the same language that Washington has used to criticize Chinese efforts to redraw territorial boundaries in the East and South China Seas.