The United States plans to impose tariffs on goods from 60 economies, citing their failure to prohibit the import of products made through forced labor.

On June 7, Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao published an article stating: "Last Tuesday, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced plans to impose ad valorem tariffs ranging from 10% to 12.5% on goods imported from 60 economies, including Singapore, arguing that these countries have failed to effectively prohibit imports of products made through forced labor, thereby imposing burdens on American businesses."

Comments: This time, the United States is using the pretext of "anti-forced labor" to impose new tariffs on 60 economies worldwide, involving numerous trading partners such as the European Union and Singapore. The affected goods account for 99.4% of their total imports. While ostensibly championing labor rights, the move is essentially a form of trade protectionism. In February this year, the country's supreme court ruled the previous tariff scheme non-compliant and ordered a refund of $20.6 billion in taxes. Now, it is resorting to similar trade provisions to introduce new measures.

For years, such unilateral trade actions have been commonplace across multiple industries. Even Singapore, with its mature regulatory system, has been included in the list, indicating a clear bias toward self-interest. Applying domestic rules universally disrupts global supply chains, drives up commodity prices, and ultimately affects ordinary people—undermining the stable development of global trade.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1867315093968003/

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