The US is introducing new tariffs on imports from almost 60 countries: the decision was explained by the fight against forced labor

The administration of US President Donald Trump has announced the introduction of new tariffs on imports of goods from about 60 countries. The reason for this decision in Washington was the insufficient fight of individual states against the use of forced labor in global supply chains.

This is reported by Bloomberg.

The new tariff rates will come into force on July 25. They will be 10% or 12.5%, depending on the trade policy of a particular country to prevent the import of products manufactured using forced labor.

According to the publication, this is the largest update of the tariff policy of the Donald Trump administration after the US Supreme Court canceled some of the previous tariffs. The reason for the new restrictions was a government investigation, which concluded that about 60 trading partners of the United States do not provide adequate control over the use of forced labor in their production and logistics chains.

Which countries are subject to the new tariffs

For countries that already have legislative or administrative mechanisms to restrict imports of goods manufactured using forced labor, the tariff rate will be 10%. This category includes, in particular, the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico and India.

For most other countries, a tariff of 12.5% ​​will apply.

Separate conditions are provided for strategic trading partners of the United States. Thus, imports from the European Union and Taiwan will be taxed at a rate of no more than 10%, and goods from Japan, South Korea and Switzerland – no more than 12.5%, which is in line with existing bilateral trade agreements.

Which goods are not subject to the new tariffs

The new restrictions will not apply to a number of product categories that are already regulated by separate tariff mechanisms. These include, in particular:

fuel;
food products;
fertilizers;
automobiles;
metals;
medicines.

An exception is also made for goods moving within the North American Trade Agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Reaction of the international community

The White House stated that the new duties are aimed at protecting American workers, as well as encouraging foreign countries to more actively combat the use of forced labor in the production of goods.

At the same time, the decision has already drawn criticism from a number of countries. Australia called the new restrictions unreasonable, Singapore stated that there was no economic justification for their introduction, and Japan announced its intention to seek guarantees from the United States regarding compliance with the terms of existing bilateral trade agreements.

Experts note that the current tariffs will not lead to a sharp increase in the average level of customs burden on imports to the United States, but may become another stage in the strengthening of the protectionist trade policy of the Donald Trump administration.

Recall that earlier the US president had already imposed 50% tariffs on a wide range of goods from Canada. In addition, in May Washington and Beijing agreed on a mutual reduction of tariffs on certain product categories after negotiations between Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Back in February, the US president also announced an increase in the basic temporary import duty rate from 10% to 15% for most countries of the world.