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Forced-labour tariffs take effect
US President Donald Trump imposed new double-digit tariffs on dozens of trading partners, with the US slapping levies of 10 to 12.5 percent on imports from 60 countries accounting for 99 percent of US imports.
“The new tariffs took effect just as the temporary 10 percent worldwide tariffs expired at 12:01am on Friday in Washington, DC (04:01 GMT).”
The tariffs took effect just as the temporary 10 percent worldwide tariffs expired at 12:01am on Friday in Washington, DC (04:01 GMT), after the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s biggest and boldest tariffs in February.
The US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said, “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.”
The BBC reported the duties replace an identical levy that expires on Friday and are based on claims key economic partners have failed to properly tackle forced labour, with the Office of the US Trade Representative saying the new duties apply to the top 60 US trade partners covering 99.4% of US imports.
Allies dispute forced-labour claim
US allies and trading partners criticized the forced-labour justification as the tariffs ranged between 10% and 12.5% on many exports to the United States.
Australia and New Zealand were among the most direct critics, with Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell calling the 12.5% tariffs “unjustified” and saying, “We believe we do take the issue of modern slavery seriously.”
In the European Union, foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas questioned the rationale, telling Reuters, “If you compare our labor laws to the ones of the United States, I mean, we have, people have paid vacations, we have very good conditions, labor conditions, for our employees, so it's not really grounded.”
China also rejected the premise, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning saying, “There is no so-called forced labour in China, and we oppose using this as an excuse for political manipulation,” while the BBC noted the tariffs were imposed on the grounds of lax enforcement of a ban on forced labour.
Lawsuits challenge legality
Legal challenges followed the tariff rollout, with 25 Democratic-led states suing Donald Trump’s administration in the US Court of International Trade, arguing the president exceeded his legal authority to implement the levies.
“After losing at the Supreme Court, the administration is once again trying to illegally raise taxes on families and businesses with a new round of tariffs”
New York Attorney General Letitia James said, “After losing at the Supreme Court, the administration is once again trying to illegally raise taxes on families and businesses with a new round of tariffs,” as the coalition targeted new double-digit tariffs imposed on 60 trading partners over forced-labour allegations.
White House spokesman Kush Desai defended the policy, saying, “A foreign country’s failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is unreasonable and burdens U.S. commerce, including American workers, and must be addressed.”
The BBC reported the lawsuit described the decision as “arbitrary, capricious, and contrary to law,” and it said the tariffs cover 99.4% of US imports according to the Office of the US Trade Representative.
