The US Trade Representative has proposed new duties targeting 60 economies, including Pakistan and India, 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% 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.”
