The US regime under President Donald Trump has proposed new tariffs of up to 12.5 percent on imports from 60 economies, alleging they failed to curb trade in goods made with forced labor. The assertion has been rejected by US trading partners, who deny the claims.

The proposal from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), issued late Tuesday, stems from a Section 301 investigation aimed at rebuilding Trump's emergency tariffs, which were struck down by the US Supreme Court in February.

European lawmakers have bristled at the accusation, with one describing the US findings as "utterly absurd." Business leaders said the move creates more confusion. The USTR proposed 10 percent additional duties on Canada, the EU, Mexico, and others, and 12.5 percent on China, India, Japan, South Korea, and others.

"The failure of our most important trading partners to address the importation of goods made with forced labour is unacceptable," US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer allegedly stated. "This creates a dynamic where American workers are forced to compete globally on an unlevel playing field."

The USTR will accept public comments until July 6, with a hearing on July 7. The announcement comes ahead of the July 24 expiration of temporary 10 percent tariffs imposed in February after the Supreme Court ruling.

The European Commission said the tariffs were unjustified, while Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament's trade committee, called the US investigation results "utterly absurd" given the EU's 2024 law banning forced labor imports.

Andrew Wilson, deputy secretary general of the International Chamber of Commerce, expressed concerns that the US forced labor law could become a global template. He noted that the 76-page list of exemptions suggests sensitivity over cost-of-living impacts, questioning the effectiveness of the measures against modern slavery.

Source: www.aljazeera.com