The United States is opening a new chapter in the global trade war , as the administration of President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on imports from about 60 trading partners , including the European Union , Britain , Canada , Japan and India . Washington argues that these countries have not taken sufficient measures to address forced labor in the production chains of products exported to the United States.
The new tariffs range from 10% to 12.5% and are expected to take effect on Friday , affecting almost all imports to the US market. According to data released by the US government, products originating from the countries in question account for about 99.4% of total US imports , making the new package of measures one of the broadest trade interventions in recent years.
Some countries secured a lower rate of 10% by presenting measures to address forced labor. However, US officials have made it clear that they remain cautious about the effectiveness of these commitments and do not rule out maintaining or even tightening the higher tariffs if there is no substantial progress.
The timing is not coincidental. The announcement comes shortly after the Trump administration’s 10% general tariff expired and at a time when the White House was seeking a new legal basis to continue its tough trade policies. The development follows a previous decision by the United States Supreme Court , which ruled that a significant portion of tariffs imposed through emergency presidential powers could not be based on this legal framework.
Instead of abandoning the tariff policy, the US government chose a different legal path , building on the findings of a months-long investigation by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) . The investigation focused on the alleged use of forced labor in the production of goods imported into the US and concluded that several countries have not taken sufficient measures to eliminate the phenomenon .
In this way, the Trump administration is attempting to base the new tariffs on a different legal basis, avoiding the obstacles that arose from previous court decisions. At the same time, this strategy allows Washington to maintain pressure on its main trading partners without having to reinstate the previous emergency powers that were challenged in court.
Despite the broad scope of the measures, the US government made exceptions for certain product categories , such as oil , natural gas and goods that cannot be produced sufficiently domestically, in order to limit the impact on the US economy and industrial production.
This new initiative is expected to provoke strong reactions from the European Union and other trading partners of the United States , as it is considered likely to lead to a new round of trade retaliation and further burden international trade. At the same time, it confirms that the Trump administration’s trade policy continues to be based on imposing pressure through tariffs, utilizing every available legal tool to promote American economic and industrial interests.
