Republican candidate for US President Donald Trump said the European Union will have to "pay big price" for not buying enough American goods if he wins the Nov. 5 election, Reuters and the Associated Press reported.
"Look what I'll tell you, the European Union sounds so nice, so wonderful, doesn't it? All the nice little European countries put together,'' he said yesterday at a rally in the key state of Pennsylvania, pledging to pass the ``Trump Reciprocal Trade Act''.
"They don't buy our cars. They don't buy our agricultural products. They sell millions and millions of cars in the US. No, no, no, no, they will have to pay a high price," Trump emphasized.
The Republican candidate has promised to impose a 10% tariff on imports from all countries and a 60% tariff on imports from China.
That would affect supply chains around the world, likely triggering retaliation and rising costs, economists warn.
The Republican candidate has already raised concerns in Taiwan by saying the democratic, self-governing island must pay Washington for its defense and accusing it of taking away the U.S. semiconductor business, Reuters notes.
By law, the US administration is obligated to assist Taiwan despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations.
At Trump's rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a city with a large Latino population, Trump was joined by "shadow senator" of Puerto Rico Zoraida Buxo, who cannot vote in the Senate because Puerto Rico is not a state.
Bukso defended the ex-president's actions. "We need this person to be our commander-in-chief,", she stressed.
However, there was anger in Allentown after a comedian at a Trump rally in New York the day before called Puerto Rico a "floating island of junk,", AP notes.
Yvette Figueroa, 61, stood outside the rally site holding a trash can with the words "Trash Trump."
"The person who said it was approved by him. So that's what he allowed, so he has to take responsibility for what he said. Now it's too late for him to say "I'm sorry". I don't want an apology, I want justice, and justice is on November 5," she said.
In Pennsylvania, where Trump campaigned last night, Hispanic voters have nearly tripled since 2000. More than half of them are Puerto Rican, AP notes.