Trump admin announces between 10% and 12.5% tariffs on 60 countries over forced labor imports

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is ratcheting up tariffs on 60 countries that have failed to ban imports made from forced labor, as 10% global duties are set to expire Friday.Senior administration officials said Thursday that countries that have begun implementing a forced labor prohibition will be hit with 10% duties, while those that haven’t will receive an import tax of 12.5% — with the levies taking effect at 12:01 a.m.on July 24.“The United States has had a forced labor import ban for nearly a century, and rigorously enforces it; it’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same,” said Ambassador Jamieson Greer.

“Today’s action will begin to correct what is both a human rights abuse and distortive trade practice to improve the welfare of workers everywhere,” Greer added.The 10% rate will apply to Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, and the UK, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative.The European Union nations, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Switzerland will be hit with either 10% or 12.5% rates for certain products, per the office.The sweeping new tariffs signify that the Trump administration is doubling down on its trade agenda and finding new ways to collect duties to withstand legal scrutiny after the Supreme Court struck down last year’s “Liberation Day” levies.“It encourages stronger labor rights enforcement abroad,” an official said of the so-called Section 301 approach.

“It will restore fairness in the global market for American workers.And it incentivizes our trading partners to join the United States in eliminating forced labor from global supply chains.”“For nearly a century, the United States has prohibited imports made in whole or in part with forced labor,” the official added.

Oil and gas won’t be subject to the new tariffs, which are being introduced ...