FLASH
Shkruar nga PamfletiRolex denies "any negotiations" with the US, although the luxury watchmaker entertained Trump and gave him a gold watch, The Guardian reports.
Donald Trump agreed to cut US tariffs on Switzerland from 39% to 15% as part of a new trade pact, reducing tariffs that strained economic ties and hit Swiss exporters.
The two countries have signed a "non-binding memorandum of understanding," the Swiss government announced, following bilateral talks in Washington and intensive lobbying by Swiss firms.
Critics seized on the announcement as evidence that the White House had put corporate interests ahead of those of struggling Americans, as inflation continues to drive up the cost of living across the country.
"While prices for American families are rising sharply due to Trump's chaotic tariffs, it is the billionaires and giant corporations that are close to Trump who are getting relief," said Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts.
Top Swiss executives met with Trump at the White House earlier this month. Rolex, the luxury Swiss watchmaker, also invited the president and a number of his officials to the US Open tennis final in September.
Upon arrival, Trump “jokingly asked if he would have been invited if it weren’t for the tariffs,” Jean-Frédéric Dufour, Rolex CEO, later revealed. It was “a moment that got everyone laughing,” he added.
Dufour denied that Rolex had engaged in "any negotiations" with the US over the tariffs. The White House dismissed Warren's criticism as "stupid conspiracy theories".
Trump was given a gold desk watch by Rolex, which was later seen on his desk in the Oval Office. Another firm is said to have donated an engraved gold bar.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer also confirmed the progress on Friday, telling CNBC, the financial news network, that the two sides had "essentially reached an agreement."
The Trump administration agreed to cap U.S. tariffs on Switzerland and Liechtenstein "to a maximum of 15%" under the deal, according to a statement from the Swiss government.
This brings US tariffs on Switzerland in line with those of the European Union, allowing Swiss exporters the same treatment as rivals in neighboring countries.
In return, Switzerland will reduce tariffs "on a range of US products," the statement said. "In addition to all industrial products, fish and seafood, this includes agricultural products from the US that Switzerland considers non-sensitive."
Swiss officials also pledged to provide a range of quotas for American goods that can be exported to Switzerland duty-free, including 500 tons of beef, 1,000 tons of bison meat and 1,500 tons of poultry.
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