BARCELONA, Spain, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Protectionist trade measures, such as those proposed by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, will harm consumers and disrupt global supply chains, Spanish business expert Josep Maria Gomes told Xinhua in an interview on Wednesday.

Gomes, from the Chamber of Commerce in Barcelona, criticized Trump's threats to raise trade tariffs on Chinese imports, stressing that "bilateral relationships and free trade agreements between countries benefit the economies of both parties and above all the consumers."

He warned that trade wars lead to inflation, making consumers the biggest losers. "Especially in such a globalized world like ours, these trade barriers most hurt the countries that are more open to trade," he said.

Trump announced plans to impose a 10 percent levy on Chinese imports and 25 percent tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada after taking office in January, targeting illegal immigration and allegedly drug smuggling. These threats build on earlier promises during his campaign to impose tariffs of 60 percent or more on Chinese goods.

This comes on the heels of outgoing President Joe Biden's protectionist measures, including significant tariff hikes on electric vehicles, lithium-ion EV batteries, and photovoltaic solar cells.

Gomes dismissed the notion that tariffs boost domestic industries, noting that today's supply chains are "extremely globalized." He explained, "The argument that imposing trade tariffs makes your own industry more competitive is wrong."

Citing tariffs on critical car components, he said such measures raise import costs, and ultimately, "the consumer pays for this extra cost."

"China is not competing on price alone but also on technology, which has overtaken the technology of the United States and Europe," he noted.

Trump's tariff rhetoric aims to bolster domestic political support, appealing to voters by addressing perceived economic grievances, Gomes noted. Enditem

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