US Slaps New Tariffs on 60 Trading Partners, Citing Forced Labour

A fresh wave of 10% to 12.5% US tariffs covers 60 partners and nearly all imports, likely raising consumer goods prices.

The US imposed new tariffs on its top 60 trading partners — including the UK, China, and the European Union — covering 99.4% of US imports. Partners that committed to enforcing forced labour bans face 10%, while others face 12.5% on all goods. The new duties replace an identical levy set to expire, and the administration frames them as a correction to a human rights abuse and distortive trade practices, per US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

The legal backdrop is messy. The US Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that many tariffs imposed under emergency powers were illegally enacted, striking down the up-to-50% 'Liberation Day' tariffs announced in April 2025. That ruling prompted tens of billions of dollars in refunds. The new structure appears designed to survive on different legal footing.

For goods as a shared need, tariffs are friction: they add cost somewhere in the supply chain, and much of that tends to reach the shelf. Broad coverage across nearly all imports means the effect is diffuse rather than targeted. Some relief exists — the EU has a 10% all-inclusive deal, UK whisky won an exemption, and analysts say exempted goods could soften the blow.

Brazil called its 12.5% rate unjustified, and Japan and Australia also objected. One trade expert argued the move is really about the trade deficit and US manufacturing, not forced labour. China denies the forced-labour allegations. Watch the 16 countries under overcapacity investigation for the next round.

Source: BBC World