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US to impose new tariffs on 60 trading partners
🇮🇪 Ireland /Economy & Trade

US to impose new tariffs on 60 trading partners

From RTÉ News · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement New plan
  • The US plans to impose new tariffs on 60 trading partners, including the EU, citing lax enforcement of forced labor bans.
  • These new duties will take effect as a temporary 10% global tariff expires, with the administration using Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974.
  • The US Trade Representative stated the move aims to ensure trading partners enforce forced labor import bans as rigorously as the US, countering unfair trade advantages.

The Trump administration is set to impose new tariffs on 60 trading partners, including the European Union, within hours. These duties, set at 10% and 12.5%, are being implemented over allegations of lax enforcement of forced labor bans by these nations.

The United States has had a forced labour import ban for nearly a century, and rigorously enforces it; it's well past time for our trading partners to do the same.

— Jamieson GreerUS Trade Representative, announcing the new tariffs.

The move comes precisely as a temporary 10% global tariff, enacted after the US Supreme Court struck down previous "reciprocal" duties, expires. The administration is invoking Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, a law designed to address balance of payments crises, to enact these new levies. Goods in transit will be exempted until July 28.

The official said the US has stronger import bans on goods made with forced labour and enforces them more rigidly than any other country, giving rivals an unfair trading advantage over the US.

— Senior Trump administration officialDisputing suggestions that the new tariffs were a direct replacement for expiring ones.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer stated that "it's well past time for our trading partners to do the same" regarding forced labor import bans, which the US has maintained and enforced for nearly a century. A senior administration official emphasized that the US enforces its bans on goods made with forced labor more rigidly than any other country, suggesting rivals gain an unfair trading advantage.

so we're really responding to that call.

— Senior Trump administration officialReferring to calls from US Congress for the eradication of forced labor.

While the timing and similar rates suggest a direct replacement for the expiring levies, the official insisted the new tariffs, invoked under Section 301 of the 1974 law, are specifically targeting forced labor. Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress have called for eradicating forced labor from global supply chains, and the official added that President Trump "would always use the tools at his disposal to achieve his trade policy objectives, and that includes tariffs."

Mr Trump would "always use the tools at his disposal to achieve his trade policy objectives, and that includes tariffs".

— Senior Trump administration officialOn the President's use of tariffs to achieve trade policy goals.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by RTÉ News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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