US imposes tariffs on dozens of trade partners over 'forced labour' imports

Image source, Getty ImagesByMichael Race, Francisco Velasquez, Reporting fromNew York, Jemma Crew and Osmond ChiaPublished23 July 2026Updated 1 hour agoThe US is imposing new tariffs on 60 trading partners, accounting for the vast majority of its imports, over claims they failed to properly stop forced labour.

The duties, ranging from 10% to 12.5%, target key economic partners – including the UK, China, the European Union, Canada, Japan and India. They come into effect on Friday, as a temporary 10% tax on foreign goods introduced earlier this year expires.

The move is the latest escalation in the global trade war reignited by US President Donald Trump when he returned to office last year.

The US Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that many of the tariffs imposed globally under emergency powers were illegally enacted.

Last month, the White House proposed 10%-12.5% duties on imports from dozens of countries over concerns they were not doing enough to tackle forced labour.

On Thursday, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, acting under Trump's direction, said those duties would now take effect.

"Today's action will begin to correct what is both a human rights abuse and distortive trade practice to improve the welfare of workers everywhere," his statement said.

Greer invoked Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which governs US trade enforcement of practices that burden or restrict American commerce.

Earlier this week, the Trump administration invoked a different statute, Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, to impose 50% tariffs on products from Canada.

On Thursday, the Office of the US Trade Representative said the latest tariffs were being imposed on partners "for their failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labour".

The new duties apply to the top 60 US trade partners covering 99.4% of US imports, it added.

The office said Trump had made adoption of a ban on imports produced with forced labour a "critical" part of reciprocal trade agreements with other nations.