The United States Trade Representative (USTR) said the final action follows investigations covering 60 economies, two rounds of public hearings, more than 2,100 public comments and consultations with more than 45 governments of economies subject to the investigations.
USTR is imposing Section 301 tariffs on 60 economies over forced-labour import bans, with rates set at 10 per cent, 10 or 12.5 per cent net of MFN, or 12.5 per cent.
Apparel and textile importers face duty exposure across affected sourcing markets.
Product exemptions cover some raw materials and goods tied to domestic supply or economy-wide disruption risks.
According to USTR, a 10 per cent Section 301 duty applies to investigated economies that impose a forced labour import prohibition, have committed to impose and enforce such a prohibition through an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade, or have a partial regime preventing imports of certain forced-labour goods.
These economies are Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Kingdom. USTR said 10 per cent or 12.5 per cent, net of Most-Favoured-Nation rate, applies to certain non-exempt products of the European Union, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Switzerland, while 12.5 per cent applies to all other investigated economies.
The White House memorandum listed the investigated economies as Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Australia, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, the People’s Republic of China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, the European Union, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong, China, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkiye, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela and Vietnam.
USTR said the investigations were initiated on March 12, 2026, at the direction of President Trump. Public hearings were held on April 28 and April 29, and on June 2, 2026, the US Trade Representative determined that the acts, policies and practices of the 60 investigated economies were unreasonable and burdened or restricted US commerce.
USTR added that it later received, reviewed and analysed over 1,600 written comments on proposed responsive action and held public hearings from July 7 to July 9, at which over 100 witnesses provided testimony.
Jamieson Greer, US Trade Representative said,”President Trump recognises that decades of moral suasion have not eradicated forced labour from global supply chains. US has had a forced labour import ban for nearly a century, and rigorously enforces it; it is well past time for our trading partners to do the same.”
USTR also said product exemptions are appropriate for raw materials that could lead to unavailability of domestic supply if tariffed, products that could cause economy-wide disruptions if subject to the tariffs, and products that cannot be grown or produced in sufficient quantities or at reasonable prices in the US or obtained from other sources.
The White House memorandum said USTR had proposed a textile mechanism that would allow a certain volume of apparel and textile imports to enter the US at a zero Section 301 tariff rate.
USTR said further details for certain products and exemptions are set out in the Federal Register Notice.
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