WASHINGTON: The United States has imposed a 10% tariff on goods imported from Pakistan under a new trade action affecting 60 trading partners, citing what the Trump administration described as inadequate enforcement of forced labour import bans.
Pakistan is among 18 countries assigned a 10% tariff rate, alongside Canada, the United Kingdom, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Bangladesh and Indonesia. The European Union, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Switzerland were assigned rates that, together with existing most-favoured-nation tariffs, total either 10% or 12.5%, while 38 other countries, including China and Vietnam, face a 12.5% duty.
The new tariffs, introduced under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, came into effect at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Friday, replacing a temporary 10% global tariff that expired after 150 days. The measures cover 99.4% of all US imports, although products including oil and gas, fertiliser, selected food items, aircraft, critical minerals and goods already subject to national security tariffs are exempt.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the measures were aimed at addressing what Washington considers weak enforcement of forced labour import restrictions by its trading partners.
“The United States has had a forced labour import ban for nearly a century, and rigorously enforces it. It’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same,” Greer said.
The White House said the tariffs were introduced to maintain a baseline duty on nearly all imports after the US Supreme Court struck down the Trump administration’s earlier reciprocal tariffs in February. Officials also argued that the new measures are less vulnerable to legal challenges because Section 301 has previously been upheld by US courts.
The announcement drew criticism from several trading partners, with the European Union, Australia, Brazil and Norway describing the tariffs as unjustified or lacking a valid legal basis. Canada said it would continue discussions with Washington regarding the new measures.
