WASHINGTON – The US Trade Representative on Tuesday proposed new duties targeting 60 economies for alleged failures to act against forced labour, as the Trump administration seeks to rebuild its tariff agenda following legal setbacks.

The proposed tariffs range from 10 percent to 12.5%, according to a government filing, and they will undergo a public comment period before a final decision is made.

The move comes months after Washington launched investigations into trading partners including China, the European Union and Japan.

The probes looked into whether they took action against the import of goods made with forced labour, and if this impacted US commerce.
On Tuesday, the USTR said that 54 of the economies “failed to impose and effectively enforce a forced labour import prohibition.”

This group includes China, Vietnam, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
Six other economies Canada, Ecuador, the EU, Indonesia, Mexico and Pakistan were deemed not to have effectively enforced such prohibitions.

“The failure of our most important trading partners to address the importation of goods made with forced labour is unacceptable,” USTR Jamieson Greer said in a statement.

“This creates a dynamic where American workers are forced to compete globally on an unlevel playing field,” he added.
But the proposed tariffs come with various exemptions such as beef, coffee and certain fruits and nuts.

Goods from Canada and Mexico that comply with a North American free trade pact will also be exempt as will certain textiles and apparel.
The public is invited to provide written comments by 6 July, and the USTR will subsequently hold hearings.  – Nampa/AFP