New US tariffs linked to foreign forced labor claims anger trading partners
The U.S. government has imposed new tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on 60 economies, citing failures to enforce bans on goods produced with forced labor. Trading partners including Australia, Japan, and New Zealand have criticized the move as unjustified and harmful to international trade.
Why it matters
These tariffs represent a significant escalation in trade tensions and protectionist policy, potentially disrupting global supply chains and straining diplomatic relations.
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BANGKOK (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest set of tariffs drew immediate objections from America’s trading partners including China and Japan, with Australia’s trade minister slamming them as “completely unjustified” on Friday.
The administration announced tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on 60 economies late Thursday, saying the countries had failed to adequately enforce a ban on goods made with forced labor.
The new tariffs took effect just as stopgap levies Trump imposed after a stinging defeat at the Supreme Court expired at 12:01 a.m. Friday.
Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell rejected claims linking Australia, a major exporter of beef, gold and copper, to modern slavery and raising the tariff on its exports to the U.S. to 12.5% from the 10% level imposed after Trump’s “Liberation Day” hikes last year.
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