New Delhi, July 8 -- S President Donald Trump escalated his global trade offensive on Monday (July 7), issuing fresh tariff warning letters to five additional countries - South Africa, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, and Kazakhstan - after already targeting Japan and South Korea. The letters threaten new import duties ranging from 25% to 40% starting August 1, in a sweeping move to rebalance what he calls "decades of unfair trade".

The letters - nearly identical in tone and content - warned of tariffs ranging from 25% to 40% on all goods exported from these countries to the United States. Trump cited long-standing trade deficits and "non-reciprocal" relationships as justification.

Each letter outlined the specific tariff rate for the respectiv...