The US Trade Representative announced proposed tariffs ranging from 10% to 12.5% on imports from 60 countries, covering almost all US imports, to address concerns over forced labour in supply chains. The tariffs target nations deemed to have failed to prohibit or effectively enforce bans on goods made with forced labour [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].
The tariffs come as a renewed effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to rebuild tariffs struck down by the US Supreme Court in February 2026. The tariffs are imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, following investigations launched in March 2026 into 60 trading partners' forced labour policies [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said, “The failure of our most important trading partners to address the importation of goods made with forced labour is unacceptable. This creates a dynamic where American workers are forced to compete globally on an unlevel playing field. We will no longer tolerate this disparity” [1].
A 10% tariff is proposed for countries that prohibit or have committed to prohibitions on forced labour goods. These include Canada, Mexico, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, and others. A higher 12.5% tariff is proposed for countries found to have failed to impose or effectively enforce such bans, including China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea [1, 8, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 6, 10, 7].
The US Trade Representative's office reported 54 countries failed to impose legal prohibitions on forced labour imports while 6 others failed to effectively enforce existing ones [1, 9]. Malaysia is among those facing a 12.5% tariff for enforcement failures, though one report cited a 10% rate [9].
Some exceptions apply, such as reduced tariffs for apparel and textile imports from certain countries under volume-based quotas [2, 3, 4, 9].
The United Kingdom called the tariffs unjustified but said it is tackling forced labour and engaging with the US administration. A UK government spokesperson said, “We're tackling forced labour in the UK and in global supply chains to ensure UK businesses are not complicit in forced labour and human rights violations. We continue to engage regularly with the US administration as part of our negotiations, and have made clear the actions we're taking” [1].
The European Union also rejected the tariffs as unjustified. Bernd Lange, Chair of the European Parliament Trade Committee, said the US findings were “utterly absurd” and noted the EU has adopted strict rules against forced labour products [7].
China denied the forced labour allegations and accused the US of "political manipulation" [1, 7]. Taiwan confirmed notification of a proposed 10% tariff but stated the rate is not final and discussions are ongoing with the US [10].
The proposed tariffs are not immediately effective. A public comment period opened on June 2 and will run until July 6, 2026. Public hearings are expected to begin on July 7, 2026, before any tariffs could be finalized [2, 3, 4, 10, 7].
