The United States has ignited a firestorm of international criticism after imposing sweeping new tariffs on 60 economies over alleged failures to combat forced labor. The duties, which took effect Friday, target goods accounting for more than 99% of American imports, drawing sharp rebukes from some of Washington’s largest trading partners.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas rejected the US accusations as unfounded, pointing to Europe’s strong labor protections. ‘We have paid vacations, we have very good labor conditions for our employees, so it’s not really grounded,’ she said, adding that European companies valued predictability and that Brussels had honored its trade commitments.
Australia called the tariffs ‘unjustified,’ while Brazil accused Washington of exploiting a human-rights issue to impose new trade restrictions. Norway said there was ‘no basis’ for the measures, Japan defended its labor and trade standards, and China rejected both the allegations and the unilateral tariffs. The new duties range from 10% to 12.5%, replacing a temporary 10% global tariff that expired Friday.
Defending the move, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Washington had enforced a ban on forced-labor imports for nearly a century and argued that trading partners should do the same. He described the tariffs as addressing ‘both a human rights abuse and distortive trade practice.’ The Trump administration adopted the measures after the Supreme Court struck down earlier global tariffs imposed under emergency powers, now turning to a different trade law. Critics argue the forced-labor rationale is primarily a way to rebuild Trump’s tariff system on a firmer legal basis. While the economic impact is expected to be limited in the short term, a separate investigation into industrial overcapacity could lead to further tariffs.
Article and image source: russiaherald.com
