The Trump administration has imposed new tariffs of 10% and 12.5% on goods from 60 trading partners, including the European Union and China, over allegations of lax enforcement of forced labor bans. This move is the White House’s latest effort to restore President Donald Trump’s campaign vision of a near-global tariff after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down his ‘reciprocal’ duties earlier this year.

Background

The new tariffs, announced in a Federal Register notice, cover 99.4% of U.S. imports but include numerous product exemptions, such as oil and gas, fertilizer, and certain food items. The tariffs are imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, allowing the administration to maintain a tariff floor on virtually all U.S. imports despite the Supreme Court setback.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer stated, ‘The United States has had a forced labor import ban for nearly a century, and rigorously enforces it. It’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same.’ The Trump administration has told Chinese counterparts that they intend to rebuild Trump’s second-term tariffs on Chinese goods back up to the 20% agreed upon in a trade truce with Chinese President Xi Jinping in November 2025.

International Response

The action drew immediate protests from some trade partners, with the European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas describing the new tariffs as a shock and stating that Washington’s rationale did not make sense. Australia and Brazil also described the new tariffs as unjustified and said they would seek to have them removed.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.