The administration of President Donald Trump is preparing a massive blow to global trade. Washington intends to impose new tariffs on goods from dozens of countries, including key allies — the European Union and Canada. The pretext for such harsh measures is the issue of forced labor, which, according to US authorities, undermines the competitiveness of domestic manufacturers.

"We will no longer tolerate this inequality"

Official Washington no longer intends to accept the fact that American workers are forced to compete under unequal conditions. This was stated by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. According to him, the inability of key trade partners to effectively combat the import of goods created using slave labor has become unacceptable.

"This creates a situation where American workers are forced to compete globally under unequal conditions. We will no longer tolerate this inequality," Greer emphasized.

Investigation details: who is in the crosshairs

The Office of the US Trade Representative conducted an in-depth investigation, the results of which became the basis for recommendations on the introduction of duties. The list of targets includes 60 countries. The selection criterion was the inability of states to adopt and enforce laws banning goods manufactured using forced labor.

This step is part of the strategy to restore Trump's global tariffs, which were previously overturned by the Supreme Court in February. In the spring, the administration launched two large-scale trade investigations, and the current conclusions are their direct result.

Tariff gradation: from 10% to 12.5%

US officials propose a differentiated approach to the introduction of duties depending on the status of the country and its actions to solve the problem:

  • Risk Group (10%): Canada, Ecuador, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, and the European Union. According to the US, these countries have failed to effectively ensure the enforcement of existing laws banning forced labor.
  • Countries with commitments (10%): Another nine countries, including Taiwan, Argentina, and the UK. They have committed to resolving the issue through trade agreements. Notably, the UK has already introduced a partial regime to prevent forced labor in its supply chains, but this proved insufficient to fully remove claims.
  • Other partners (12.5%): The remaining 44 countries, including global economic giants such as Japan and South Korea, will face the highest rate within this package of measures.

The decision to introduce these tariffs could radically change the landscape of global trade and exert serious pressure on the economies of countries that have fallen into Washington's "black list".