US proposes new tariffs on 60 countries, including Pakistan

The United States has proposed new tariffs of up to 12.5% on imports from around 60 countries, including Pakistan, citing concerns that these trading partners have not taken sufficient action against goods linked to forced labour. The move is intended to support earlier emergency tariff measures introduced by President Donald Trump, which were later invalidated by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in February. Although forced labour-linked products are widely acknowledged as a global supply chain issue, the U.S. claims many partners are not doing enough to prevent such imports. European officials, however, strongly dispute the assessment, with some calling the findings “utterly absurd” and pointing to existing regional laws targeting forced labour goods. Under the proposal, a 10% additional tariff would apply to imports from countries including Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and others. The USTR said these countries already have partial systems or frameworks in place to address the issue. A higher rate of 12.5% would be imposed on goods from the remaining 45 countries under review, including China, Vietnam, Nigeria, Indonesia, Malaysia, Argentina, and New Zealand. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer defended the proposal, saying that failure by major trading partners to stop imports tied to forced labour creates unfair competition and disadvantages American workers. The USTR has opened a consultation period, allowing public comments until July 6, followed by a hearing scheduled for July 7. The announcement comes ahead of the July 24 expiry of a temporary 10% tariff introduced in February, following the Supreme Court’s decision striking down earlier tariff measures under emergency economic powers legislation. The European Commission has rejected the new tariffs, saying they are unjustified and reaffirming its commitment to a previously agreed trade framework with Washington. EU offici