The United States government has increased pressure on its trading partners this week, sending notices to the heads of several countries, including South Africa and Tunisia, informing them of revised tariff rates.

The tariffs, which were initially scheduled to come into effect today, have now been pushed back to 1 August, with the exception of those imposed on China, which remain in place.

Speaking to the media on Monday, US President Donald Trump said the tariffs were not definitive, and that if any of the 14 affected countries were to “call and do something a different way,” he would be open to reconsidering.

To discuss this further, we are joined by Bernard Ouandji, a former senior economist at the United Nations, based in Cameroon.