The Trump administration imposed new forced-labor duties on imports from 60 trading partners on Friday, July 24, 2026 [1], [2].
This move shifts the U.S. trade strategy from a broad global tax to targeted penalties aimed at nations the administration said are not adequately enforcing bans on forced labor [1], [4].
The new duties come as a temporary 10% global tariff expires [1], [2]. Under the new forced-labor statute, the U.S. Trade Representative has implemented tariff rates of 10% and 12.5% [1]. These measures apply to 60 foreign trading partners, including China and the European Union [1], [3].
Washington said that the duties are intended to pressure these countries to improve their enforcement of labor laws. The administration said that the affected partners have failed to maintain sufficient standards to prevent forced labor in their supply chains [1], [4].
While some reports initially mentioned only a 10% rate, other data indicates the duties range between 10% and 12.5% [1], [3]. The implementation on Friday ensures that the U.S. maintains a tariff barrier immediately following the expiration of the previous global measure [2].
Trade officials said that the list of 60 partners was selected based on labor enforcement gaps. The shift represents a move toward using specific statutory triggers, such as forced labor violations, to justify the continuation of import duties on a wide scale [1], [3].
“The Trump administration imposed new forced-labor duties on imports from 60 trading partners.”
By transitioning from a general global tariff to duties based on the forced-labor statute, the U.S. is linking trade policy directly to human rights enforcement. This creates a legal mechanism to maintain high tariffs on a broad array of partners—including major economies like the EU and China—while framing the economic pressure as a moral and legal necessity rather than a simple trade dispute.
