Trump has tied tariffs so large they are effectively sanctions to an issue Lula’s government has made clear it won’t negotiate on.

U.S. President Donald Trump has launched a global trade war with an array of tariffs that target individual products and countries. Trump has set a baseline tariff of 10% on all imports to the United States,

"The imposition of a general tariff of 30% by the USA on exports from South Africa to the USA could have unintended and austere consequences for the South African economy and for longer-term business relations," the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI) said in a statement.

South Africa’s trade department has drafted proposed regulations that will allow exporters to collaborate to ease the impact of 30% tariffs the US levied on imports from the nation.

The South African government is intensifying efforts to consolidate trade partnerships with other nations to mitigate the economic impact of the 30% tariff imposed by the United States, according to Minister of Trade,