Washington has announced plans to impose new tariffs on imports from 60 trading partners, among them Pakistan and India, accusing these countries of insufficiently addressing the importation of goods produced with forced labour. This initiative is part of the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) efforts to revamp its tariff policies following recent legal setbacks.
The proposed duties, varying between 10% and 12.5%, target economies considered to have failed in enforcing bans on forced labour imports, a situation the US claims puts American workers at a disadvantage.
In a government filing, 54 countries, including China, Vietnam, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and India, were identified as not fully implementing forced labour import prohibitions. Additionally, six others—Canada, Ecuador, the European Union, Indonesia, Mexico, and Pakistan—were found to have inadequately enforced such measures.
The USTR specified that a 10% tariff would apply to imports from Canada, Ecuador, the EU, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, and several other nations, while the remaining 45 countries would face higher tariffs of 12.5%. Certain products are exempted from these tariffs, including beef, coffee, select fruits and nuts, as well as goods from Canada and Mexico that comply with North American trade agreements, alongside specific textiles and apparel items.
Notably, this proposal follows investigations into major trading partners such as China, the EU, and Japan, assessing their efforts against forced labour and the consequent effects on US trade. USTR Jamieson Greer condemned the situation as unacceptable, emphasizing that American workers should not have to compete under unfair conditions.
“The failure of our most important trading partners to address the importation of goods made with forced labour is unacceptable,” Greer stated. “We will no longer tolerate this disparity.” Public feedback on the proposed tariffs is open until July 6, with hearings scheduled thereafter. This announcement comes ahead of the July 24 expiration of a temporary 10% tariff imposed earlier this year, underscoring the ongoing use of trade measures to confront global labour issues.
