Trump announces tariffs of up to 100 pct on drones

US President Donald Trump declared tariffs of up to 100 percent on imports of unmanned drones and their components on Thursday. The White House cited concerns about the country's overreliance on foreign sources for drones. A 100-percent tariff will apply to certain large, sensitive drones, while a 25-percent tariff will be imposed on smaller drones.

A 15-percent tariff will be levied on drones and components from the EU, Japan, Liechtenstein, South Korea, Switzerland, and Taiwan. A 10-percent tariff will be imposed on drones from the UK. These tariffs come after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick investigated the extent of foreign imports of unmanned aircraft systems, finding that the U.S. is too dependent on foreign sources and that some foreign drones pose security risks.

The trade measures will take effect in 21 days for sensitive components, 180 days for non-sensitive components, and 180 days for products approved for an exemption by the Federal Communications Commission's Covered List. China, in response to the tariffs, imposed restrictions on drone exports to the U.S. and blacklisted six companies, following the U.S.'s imposition of fresh tariffs on China and 59 other countries.