Today's Edition
MASERU, LESOTHO (AFP)
Lesotho said Thursday it will send a government delegation to the United States to plead its case after Washington imposed 50-percent tariffs on its imports, the highest for a single nation.
The small southern African kingdom topped the list of many countries hit with sweeping tariffs by US President Donald Trump Wednesday in an intensifying global trade war.
"We need to urgently travel to the US to engage with its executives and plead our case," Trade Minister Mokhethi Shelile told reporters. "My biggest concern was the immediate closure of factories and job losses," he said.
Lesotho's annual gross domestic product of $2 billion is highly reliant on exports of mostly textiles, including jeans.
"There are 11 factories in the country, most of which export goods to the US and provide employment to 12,000 workers," Shelile said.
"Goods currently in production will be affected by these tariffs and will not be exported to the US," he said, adding he had asked factories to continue operating "while we work on solutions".
The minister said the US action showed that the country needs to "diversify" its trade relationships and it had already started exploring alternatives.
"We cannot rely solely on the US," he said. "While this transition will take time, the process is already under way."
