Various experts have criticized US President Donald Trump‘s decision to impose new tariffs ranging from 10 percent to 12.5 percent on imports from 60 trading partners, including Egypt.

Speaking to Al-Masry Al-Youm, they said that this decision violates international norms and laws.

A member of the National Council for Human Rights and Secretary of the Economic Rights Committee,  Mohamed Mamdouh, added that this necessitates urgent Egyptian action that combines protecting the national economy with promoting human rights and decent work.

Mamdouh pointed out that combating forced labor and human trafficking is a legitimate human rights objective to which Egypt is committed.

Using this issue to impose collective tariffs on countries without direct evidence that their exports rely on forced labor raises questions about using human rights issues as a new tool for trade protectionism, he said.

The Vice President of the Egyptian Trade Union Federation, Magdy al-Badawy, said that Trump’s unjustified tariffs pose new challenges.

Their justification by the US administration as a way to combat “forced labor” is a deception, he added.

And a professor of economics at Ain Shams University, Yumn al-Hamaqi, said that Trump’s recent decisions are part of a pattern of actions that violate international law.

She explained that the impact of imposing tariffs on Egypt will be limited given the small volume of trade with the American market.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm