Galim Khussainov
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Economy and public policy · 1 min read

Trump's Tariffs and Kazakhstan

Translated from Russian with the help of AI. Original: Russian version

Galim Khussainov argues that the 27% US tariff on Kazakhstan is effectively neutral for the country, since its main exports to the US are exchange-traded commodities that can easily be redirected to other markets. He also dismisses reports of "retaliatory" Kazakh tariffs of 54% as fake.

I keep reading a lot of hype about the American tariffs on Kazakhstan. Trump is certainly quite the macroeconomist, and his initiatives will hurt the US economy itself, but for us these 27% are absolutely neutral. Our main exports to the US are exchange-traded commodities: oil, uranium, silver. They are not bought only by the United States: global demand for them is stable. Ours will simply be redirected to other markets, and that's it.

What is being written about "retaliatory" Kazakh tariffs of 54% is fake. Kazakhstan has no tariffs of its own, only the common ones within the EAEU. Those 54% are not tariffs but the gap between exports and imports. The US is trying to offset that gap through tariffs. That's all.

Why isn't Russia on the list? Because it is already under sanctions. Trade between the US and Russia has long been restricted, so there is no point in new tariffs.

First published on the @galimschannel Telegram channel

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