The US has imposed duties on uninhabited territories called “penguin islands” to prevent the possibility of circumventing tariff policy, the country’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said.
“President (US President Donald Trump) is fed up with it and he wants to rectify the situation. He said he can’t allow any part of the world to become a ridiculous loophole for China or other countries,” Lutnick said in an interview with CBS television.
Also, the US Commerce Secretary denied speculation about the use of artificial intelligence to generate a list of territories subject to customs duties, after the imposition of duties against “penguin islands” was mocked online.
On Wednesday, the US imposed duties on 30 overseas territories of different countries. Among them were the Heard and McDonald Islands, which are home only to penguins and other animals. According to the U.S. Customs Service, in 2024, the country imported from these islands of goods for 13.6 thousand dollars.