President Donald Trump‘s administration on Thursday imposed new tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on imports from 60 trading partners, saying the measures are intended to pressure countries to adopt and enforce bans on goods produced with forced labor.
The tariffs, announced by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), were imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 following investigations into what the administration described as the failure of the affected economies to prohibit imports made with forced labor.
The action covers the top 60 U.S. trading partners, representing about 99.4% of U.S. imports, according to a USTR fact sheet.
“The United States has had a forced labor import ban for nearly a century, and rigorously enforces it; it’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement.
For nearly a century, the United States has prohibited the importation of goods produced with forced labor, and rigorously enforces this law. It is well past time for our trading partners to do the same.
Both sides of the aisle have been calling for action on foreign forced… pic.twitter.com/G2Wx0VwFNk
— United States Trade Representative (@USTradeRep) July 23, 2026
The announcement comes as temporary global tariffs imposed earlier this year were due to expire, with the administration shifting to more durable duties under Section 301, a law that allows the president to respond to foreign trade practices deemed unreasonable or discriminatory.
Certain products from Pakistan and India will face 10% and 12.5% tariffs from today.
Pakistan has been placed in a group of countries that face the lowest 10% tariffs on products to be exported to the United States. Other countries in the group include Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, United Kingdom.
Some trading partners including the European Union, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Switzerland have been levied tariffs between 10 % and 12.5%.
American workers should not have to compete against goods made with forced labor because our trading partners refuse to close their doors to it. President Trump is righting this wrong by imposing tariffs to strengthen America’s competitiveness. pic.twitter.com/12r9NtaVcO
— United States Trade Representative (@USTradeRep) July 23, 2026
India, China, Russia, Middle Eastern, South Asian and Asian countries are placed in a group of dozens of countries whose exported items will be subject to the highest 12.5% charge.
Under the final determination, countries that already have a forced labor import prohibition, have committed to adopt one through reciprocal trade agreements, or have implemented partial restrictions will generally face a 10% tariff. Those include Canada, Mexico, India, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh, among others.
Certain products from the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Switzerland will be subject to tariffs of either 10% or 12.5%, net of existing most-favored-nation tariff rates, depending on the product category.
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All other economies covered by the investigations will face a 12.5% tariff.
The administration said the duties will apply to most imports from the covered countries, while exempting certain raw materials, products deemed critical to U.S. supply chains, goods unavailable from domestic or alternative sources, and selected products intended to encourage countries to strengthen forced labor enforcement. Goods already subject to Section 232 tariffs, along with informational materials, donations and accompanied baggage, are also excluded.
The USTR said it launched the investigations on March 12 at Trump’s direction, conducted two rounds of public hearings, received more than 2,100 public comments across the investigations and consulted with more than 45 governments before issuing its final determination.
The administration says the measures are intended to combat forced labor in global supply chains while addressing what it considers an unfair trade practice that disadvantages U.S. commerce. It argues that countries failing to block imports made with forced labor allow lower-cost goods into international markets, undermining businesses that comply with labor standards.
The tariffs are the latest use of Section 301 by the Trump administration. During Trump’s first term, the provision formed the legal basis for tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of Chinese imports, and the administration has signaled that additional Section 301 actions targeting other trade practices could follow.
Analysts say the new duties expand the administration’s use of trade policy beyond traditional market access disputes by linking tariff rates to trading partners’ labor enforcement regimes, potentially adding a new dimension to U.S. trade negotiations.
Huma Nisar is Associate Editor at Views and News. She also writes opinion articles on health, society and diet.
Iftikhar Ali is a veteran Pakistani journalist, former president of UN Correspondents Association, and a recipient of the Pride of Performance civil award
