The US has imposed new tariffs on 60 trading partners within the latest rise in the trade war reignited by US President Donald Trump when he returned to office last year.
Those targeted, consisting of the United Kingdom, China and the European Union, will confront a tariff of 10% to 12.5% on all goods, accounting for almost all American imports.
The tariffs, which replace a same levy which expires on Friday, are based on claims key economic partners have failed to properly manage forced labour.
But US trade professional Caroline Freund stated that the move is “not about forced labour” but that Trump is simply “looking for a legal reason to put the tariffs in”.
The US Supreme Court had ruled in previously this year that many of the tariffs imposed worldwide under emergency powers were illegally approved.
The 10%-12.5% duties on imports were proposed last month by the White House and over concerns they were not doing sufficient to handle forced labour.
“Today’s action will start to correct what is both a human rights abuse and distortive trade practice to enhance the welfare of employees everywhere,” US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer stated.
The new duties apply to the top 60 US trade partners overlaying 99.4% of US imports, it added.
The new tariffs were a “like for like” change with the regime that expired on Friday, Freund, Dean of the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy, advised the BBC’s Today programme.
What tariffs has Trump introduced and why?
Asked about the forced labour justification, she stated: “I think they were searching out a legal reason to put the tariffs in and that they can keep them because their aims and Greer has been very clear about this, as has Trump, is about the trade deficit and it’s about US production, it is not about forced labour.”
The new levies display the Trump administration is “determined” to push on with its tariff approach, stated trade policy professional Deborah Elms from the Hinrich Foundation.
It is not expected countries hit with tariffs can be able to prove that they’ve enough measures to prevent forced labour imports, she told the BBC.
The levies are likely to increase costs for businesses and consumers, despite the fact that its impact could be softened due to the number of exempted goods, stated the Asia Society Policy Institute’s economic security expert Wendy Cutler.
She added most trading partners would be disappointed with the new levies and were probable to target on approaches to “reduce their reliance at the US” by making deals with other nations.
The head of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) stated the UK had lost its comparative benefit against the European Union because of the new tariffs.
William Bain told the BBC the EU has a 10% all-inclusive deal for tariffs on its goods, at the same time as the UK is dealing with 10% universal tariffs on top of any duties imposed on individual goods.
“So there will be some concerns in the business community this morning about what the United Kingdom require to do to get the same treatment the European Union has got here,” Bain aadded.
David Henig, director of UK trade policy at the European Centre for International Political Economy, also noted the UK’s relative disadvantage compared with the EU.
He advised Today: “We have barely moved backwards, but that is President Trump so anything could change day tomorrow or the day after.
“I don’t think too many businesses will be changing their plans based on that.”
What tariffs has Trump introduced and why?
- Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs were introduced in April 2025, but struck down in February 2026
- They were replaced by a temporary 10% levy on all worldwide imports, which expired on Friday
- That has now been replaced by the new tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on all goods from the countries targeted.
How have nations around the world responded?
The UK government stated corporations were dealing with no changes to the tariff rate they are facing.
“We take forced labour very critically to make sure that in worldwide supply chains UK businesses aren’t complicit,” a government spokesperson mentioned.
And UK whisky will not be impacted by the new tariffs, after Trump struck a deal to exempt the tipple during King Charles and Queen Camilla’s state visit to the US.
Other countries have criticized the assertion, with Brazil’s government calling the new 12.5% rate it’s facing “unjustified”.
The Japanese government on Friday stated it regretted the new tariffs, even as Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell stated the levies were “absolutely unjustified”.
China has earlier said it opposed any form of unilateral tariff, and denied allegations of forced labour.
“There is no so-called forced labour in China, and we oppose using this as an excuse for political manipulation,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated.
But numerous international human rights groups have said forced labour does exist in China, specifically among Muslim ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.
Trump’s signature policy
Trump has long claimed that tariffs protect American workers and amplify the United States economy.
In April 2025, Trump imposed tariffs of up to 50% on global trading partners on what he referred to as “Liberation Day”, targeting to deal with what he noticed as unfair treatment of the United States.
In February, the US Supreme Court struck down those tariffs and stated that the president had exceeded his authority, prompting tens of billions of dollars in refunds.
But the White House has since looked at optional methods to impose import duties, which include a sweeping 10% levy as part of a temporary solution that expired on Friday.
Washington has also imposed other tariffs on countries such as Brazil and Canada.
The US and China have also been embroiled in a tit-for-tat tariffs conflict, which is currently on hold.
Trump has used tariffs to press nations, which includes Mexico, on non-trade issues.
The administration could be set to impose similarly tariffs as it is currently investigating 16 nations – accounting for the massive majority of US imports – over claims of manufacturing overcapacity.
