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Anura writes to Trump proposing solution to tariff issue

08 Apr, 2025

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Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has written to US President Donald Trump proposing a solution to the reciprocal tariff issue.

Deputy Minister of Economic Development Anil Jayantha told Parliament that the White House has acknowledged receipt of the letter from the Sri Lankan President.

Anil Jayantha said that Sri Lanka has also had virtual discussions with the US trade representative regarding the issue.

He said that diplomatic efforts are underway on so many fronts to try and reach a settlement with the US on the tariff issue.

The Deputy Minister said that Sri Lanka is also looking at alternatives to mitigate the impact of the US tariffs imposed on products from Sri Lanka.

Deputy Minister of Economic Development Anil Jayantha was responding to a question posed by MP Ravi Karunanayake on the recent reciprocal tariffs imposed on Sri Lanka and other countries by the Trump administration.

US President Donald Trump recently slapped Sri Lanka with a 44% tariff on imports as part of reciprocal tariffs imposed on dozens of nations.

The tariff imposed on Sri Lanka was among the highest on a list of countries mentioned by the US administration.

The 44 percent tariff was imposed on Sri Lanka for the 88 percent tariff it has imposed on products from the US.

Trump said that despite a commitment to the principle of reciprocity, the trading relationship between the United States and its trading partners has become highly unbalanced, particularly in recent years.

The US President said that efforts by the United States to address these imbalances have stalled. (Colombo Gazette)

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