New US tariffs on 60 trade partners take effect over forced-labor violations

New US tariffs on imports from 60 trading partners took effect Friday over their alleged failure to prevent goods produced with forced labor from entering international trade.

The duties, ranging from 10% to 12.5%, entered into force at 12.01 am Eastern Time (0401GMT) and replaced President Donald Trump’s temporary 10% global tariff, which expired at the same time.

The measures cover trading partners accounting for 99.4% of US trade, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative.

The tariffs were imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 following an investigation into whether the targeted economies effectively prohibited imports made with forced labor.

The new duties will not be added to existing US national security tariffs on steel and aluminum.

The administration launched the investigation in March and proposed the tariffs in June, arguing that weak enforcement abroad placed US workers and businesses at a disadvantage.