Trump says he’ll send letters to over 150 countries, plans tariff barrage Aug. 1

In recent weeks, President Trump postponed the tariff deal deadline to Aug. 1 and sent letters to the leaders of 25 countries informing them of new tariff rates.

But one factor complicating negotiations in the days ahead is that each trade relationship faces its own set of complex issues. And while most issues center on particular industries or trade barriers, others don’t seem to directly pertain to trade, as in the case of Brazil and Trump’s opposition to its Supreme Court trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

The chart below highlights the top issues for the US’s top trading partners, which make up 85% of US trade. It also highlights the challenge of inking one-off deals with each partner, as was revealed the first time the Trump team boldly predicted 90 deals in 90 days.

Talks with Canada, for instance, are likely to focus on oil and potash, whereas the Trump administration’s dealings with Japanese officials are likely to center around automobiles and general market openness.

Transshipping, when cargo is routed through a third country to avoid tariffs, has become a particularly tricky issue for many Southeast Asian countries, as companies look to circumvent tariffs on Chinese goods.