The Trump administration is considering imposing new import tariffs on goods from 60 countries, including EU member states, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. Washington believes these countries are not effectively combating the supply of products made using forced labor.
Writes bb.lv citing Politico, which published excerpts from a report by the U.S. Trade Representative's office.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump intends to impose new tariffs on goods from dozens of countries, including the European Union and Canada. The reason cited is insufficient measures to prevent the import of products made using forced labor.
"The failure of our key trading partners to address the issue of importing goods made with forced labor is unacceptable. It creates a situation where American workers are forced to compete on an uneven playing field globally. We will no longer tolerate this inequality," said U.S. Trade Representative Jamison Greer.
According to the publication, the agency conducted a large-scale investigation and recommended imposing tariffs on 60 countries that, in the opinion of the U.S. side, do not ensure proper enforcement of legislation prohibiting the trade in goods produced using forced labor.
It is noted that this is one of two major trade investigations initiated by the Trump administration in the spring after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned part of previously imposed global tariffs in February.
The investigation revealed that Canada, Ecuador, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, and the European Union do not effectively monitor compliance with regulations related to the prohibition of forced labor. An additional tariff of 10% is proposed for these countries.
The same rate is planned to be applied to nine other countries that have committed to addressing this issue under trade agreements with the U.S. This list includes, in particular, Taiwan, Argentina, and the United Kingdom, where, according to U.S. authorities, only a partial mechanism for controlling supply chains is in place.
For the remaining 44 countries, including major U.S. trading partners such as Japan and South Korea, a tariff of 12.5% is proposed.
If the proposals are approved, the U.S. may enter a new phase of trade pressure on its partners. Experts do not rule out that additional tariffs could lead to retaliatory measures from the affected countries and increase tensions in global trade.
