New U.S. tariffs linked to claims of foreign forced labor dismay and anger trading partners

By — Elaine Kurtenbach, Associated Press Elaine Kurtenbach, Associated Press By — Chan Ho-him, Associated Press Chan Ho-him, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/new-u-s-tariffs-linked-to-claims-of-foreign-forced-labor-dismay-and-anger-trading-partners Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter New U.S. tariffs linked to claims of foreign forced labor dismay and anger trading partners World Jul 24, 2026 12:57 PM EDT BANGKOK (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump's latest set of tariffs drew objections Friday from America's trading partners including China and Japan, with Australia's trade minister slamming them as "completely unjustified." The administration announced tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on 60 economies late Thursday, saying the countries had failed to adequately enforce a ban on goods made with forced labor. WATCH: News Wrap: Trump announces new tariffs on dozens of countries The new tariffs took effect just as stopgap levies Trump imposed after a stinging defeat at the Supreme Court expired at 12:01 a.m. Friday. Countries object to what they call unfounded labor claims Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell rejected claims linking Australia, a major exporter of beef, gold and copper, to modern slavery and raising the tariff on its exports to the U.S. to 12.5% from the 10% level imposed after Trump's "Liberation Day" hikes last year. "We believe that amongst all of the countries in the world Australia does take the issue of slavery, modern slavery, seriously, and will continue to do that," Farrell told reporters in Adelaide. Australia believes the higher tariffs are "completely unjustified and we will continue to lobby the United States Trade Representative to remove all tariffs on Australian goods," Farrell said. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the tariffs on his country, also subject to a 12.5% import duty, were "extremely disappointing," unjustified and harmful to trade. A U.S. investigation serving as the basis for the tariffs did not provide meaningful evidence to support allegations of forced labor. "Tariffs are not the way — they drive up costs and uncertainty for businesses," he wrote on X. READ MORE: Trump imposes double-digit tariffs on dozens of countries as stopgap 10% levies expire Friday European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas questioned the U.S. stance in comments on Channel News Asia. "If you compare our labor laws to the ones of the United States, I mean we have, people have paid vacations, we have very good conditions, labor conditions for our employees, so it's not really grounded," Kallas said. Also facing a 12.5% tariff, Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry, which reiterated its stance of not condoning the use of forced labor, said it would "continue to engage the USTR (United States Trade R