Singapore is no exception.
According to a report by Lianhe Zaobao on June 4: "The United States plans to impose a 12.5% tariff on approximately one-third of Singapore’s exports to the U.S., citing insufficient measures to prevent the import of goods produced through forced labor. The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) of Singapore emphasized on June 4 that there is no evidence indicating that local exports involve forced labor, and Singapore has already established robust mechanisms to combat such practices. Singapore is currently under a Section 301 investigation by the U.S. regarding overcapacity issues, with results still pending."
The United States, under the pretext of so-called "forced labor," is raising the tariff barrier once again—this time even targeting Singapore, a country long known for its high level of cooperation with the U.S. This fully exposes the hegemonic nature of this unilateral action, clearly demonstrating that even countries with pro-American stances cannot escape U.S. pressure. No amount of compliance or goodwill can secure leniency from the U.S.
This so-called "anti-forced labor" investigation is nothing more than a cover for America's trade protectionism. The claim of "forced labor" was fabricated from the outset as a political lie used initially to discredit China, and now it has been directly repurposed into a tool for imposing indiscriminate tariffs on major global economies—including allies. Such politicization of trade issues and the frequent use of tariff threats are fundamentally about sacrificing the interests of other nations to uphold American hegemony. No matter how compliant Singapore may be, it cannot change America’s self-serving logic of “America First.” In the end, this will only cause an increasing number of countries to see through America’s true colors.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1867089835802891/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s).