The US is imposing tariffs ranging from 10% to 12.5% on 60 major trading partners under the pretext of combating forced labor, depending on whether those countries have legally banned the import of goods produced using forced labor. This was stated by the US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamison Greer.
“Today, the US Trade Representative Jamison Greer is taking final steps under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to impose tariffs on 60 countries due to the inability to establish a ban on the import of goods produced using forced labor and to ensure its effective enforcement,” the statement from the US Trade Representative's office reads.
A minimum tariff of 10% will apply to 17 countries that have already legally prohibited the import of goods produced using forced labor. According to the statement, these countries include, in particular, the United Kingdom, India, Canada, and Mexico.
For goods imported from the European Union, Japan, South Korea, and Switzerland that are not included in the list of exceptions, the tariff rate will be 10% or 12.5%, excluding the existing customs rates under the Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) regime, the statement notes.
At the same time, for all other countries included in the investigation that have not complied with Washington's demands, the maximum base tariff rate will increase by 2.5 percentage points to 12.5%.
These will replace the 10% temporary global tariff that the Trump administration applied in February after the US Supreme Court overturned the trade tariffs set in April 2025. The temporary measure's duration was limited to 150 days and expires on Friday, prompting the White House to move to the application of targeted tariffs with a new legal basis.
