Tuesday, 17 June 2025
US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is set to visit Japan, India, Vietnam, and other nations to address trade imbalances and negotiate over newly imposed US tariffs. The trip aims to boost agricultural exports, resolve ongoing trade disputes, and ease tensions sparked by tariff measures introduced under President Trump
US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins will visit India, Japan, Vietnam, and several other nations in the coming weeks to engage in high-level talks aimed at resolving trade imbalances and addressing the impact of newly implemented US tariffs, media reports said Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters, Rollins said her mission is to secure increased agricultural imports from key US trading partners, as part of Washington’s broader strategy to correct what it views as long-standing trade disparities.
“Deals are being negotiated right now. Next week, I’ll be in England discussing these things. A few weeks after, I’ll be in Italy, then soon after that, Vietnam, Japan, and India,” Rollins was quoted as saying by Japan’s Kyodo News Agency.
The diplomatic tour follows President Donald Trump’s imposition of a sweeping new global tariff regime that has affected both rivals and allies. While most nations received a temporary 90-day exemption, China was notably excluded and now faces punitive tariffs of up to 245 per cent on certain exports to the US.
Currently, Japan, India, and Vietnam are subject to US tariff rates of 24 per cent, 27 per cent and 46 per cent, respectively. Tokyo has formally requested an exemption from the tariffs, but Washington has so far rejected the appeal.
Last week, Japan’s top trade envoy Ryosei Akazawa met with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington in an effort to ease the strain. However, the discussions ended without a breakthrough.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba addressed the issue publicly on Friday, stating that Tokyo “will not compromise its national interests for the sake of reaching a trade deal.” He described the ongoing negotiations as “positive and constructive” but acknowledged that considerable differences remain. “Maximum efforts will be required to resolve them,” he added.
Rollins’ upcoming visits to Europe and Asia underscore the Biden administration’s effort to recalibrate global trade relations and reinforce US agriculture’s role in future trade agreements, even as allies grow wary of increasingly protectionist policies from Washington.
