Washington: The Trump administration has announced the imposition of new tariffs of 10 percent and 12.5 percent on goods from 60 trading partners, including the European Union and China. This move comes amid allegations of lax enforcement of forced labour bans, coinciding with the expiration of a temporary 10 percent global tariff.
According to Emirates News Agency, the newly announced tariffs, detailed in a Federal Register notice, will impact 99.4 percent of US imports. However, several products, such as oil and gas, fertilizers, and certain food items, have been granted exemptions. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer emphasized the long-standing commitment of the United States to enforcing its nearly century-old forced labour import ban, urging trading partners to match these enforcement standards.
The tariffs include a 10 percent duty on goods from countries including Argentina, Bangladesh, Britain, Cambodia, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Trinidad and Tobago. Meanwhile, the European Union, Taiwan, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Switzerland face rates that, when combined with existing most-favoured-nation tariff rates, amount to either 10 percent or 12.5 percent. The remaining 38 countries have been assigned a 12.5 percent tariff rate.
