Trump Reserves Harshest Tariff Rates for Laos, Myanmar and Syria

US President Donald Trump’s revised global tariff plan unveiled Thursday hit Laos and Myanmar hard with a 40% import duty — the second-highest rate in the world behind only Syria at 41%.

The White House hasn’t explained its rationale, and US trade with all three is small compared with its other partners.

Myanmar remains under US sanctions following its 2021 coup, and Laos has drawn US scrutiny for deepening ties with China. Syria, meanwhile, had been penalized for human rights abuses under former President Bashar Al-Assad, but the US has sought to ease those restrictions since his overthrow last ...