US President Donald Trump has ordered his officials to develop reciprocal tariffs on imports to the United States, keeping to an "eye for an eye" election campaign promise on matters of world trade.

"I have decided for purposes of fairness, that I will charge a reciprocal tariff, meaning whatever countries charge the United States of America, we will charge them. No more, no less," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday.

The statement is the latest in a line of tariff announcements by the president, including a new 10% tariff on imports from China that took effect last week and the prospect of new tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum from March.

Trump has also threatened 25% levies on imports from neighbors Canada and Mexico, which have been paused for a month to allow for further negotiations.

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Trump has a longstanding belief that the US is being treated unfairly in global trade. He argues that many countries impose higher tariffs on US goods than the US does on theirs, creating an imbalance.

For example, India levies tariffs that are typically between 5 and 20% higher than the US on 87% of imported goods, according to data from Global Trade Alert, an organization which assesses commerce policies.

Trump has said he wants to match the levy on US imports that other countries apply to US products.

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