US tariffs may trigger supply chain turmoil

Auto industry association says move severely violates WTO rules

The United States' "reciprocal tariff" policy may trigger disruptions to global industrial and supply chains, said industry associations, adding that such actions will harm the interests of businesses and consumers — including in the US itself.

Hildegard Muller, president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry, said that the new US tariffs represent Washington's departure from a rules-based global trading order, and thus a departure from the foundation for global values creation and corresponding growth and prosperity in many regions of the world.

"This is not America first, this is America alone," Muller said in a written statement.