US Secretary of Commerce Lutnick advocated for adding deserted islands to the tariff list. Lutnick claimed that China and other countries take advantage of legal loopholes through such islands.

While US President Donald Trump’s customs tariff policies continue to shake the world, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick argued that adding islands without human population to the tariff list is “necessary to close legal loopholes.”

The Heard and McDonald Islands, located in the Southern Ocean and belonging to Australia, stand out for being included in the tariff list despite not having human population.

Lutnick provided evaluations on the tariffs announced by President Donald Trump on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” program.

“Why are these regions subject to a 10% tax? Did you use artificial intelligence for this decision?” Lutnick responded: “No. The aim here is not to exempt any country from the list. Because if you exclude a place from the list, countries trying to exploit America indirectly send their products to us via those regions.”

Lutnick claimed that China and other countries take advantage of “legal loopholes” through such islands, asserting that this will help close the US trade deficits.

On April 2, Trump announced that the US would apply reciprocal tariffs to other countries, with a basic tariff rate of 10%.