US Allies Slam Renewed Tariffs, Reject Trump’s Forced-Labor Justification

(WS News) – Several of America’s closest trading partners have criticized the Trump administration’s decision to renew tariffs on more than 60 countries, pushing back hard against the justification offered by the White House.

The new tariffs, ranging between 10 and 12.5 percent on nearly all US imports from the targeted countries, were imposed just as an earlier round of tariffs expired, after the US Supreme Court had ruled earlier this year that many of the levies imposed under emergency powers were illegal. This time, the administration cited what it called lax enforcement of bans on forced labor in the production of goods, an allegation that both Australia and the European Union firmly rejected.

Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell called the new 12.5 percent tariff on his country’s exports “unjustified” and “an extremely disappointing decision,” pointing to Australia’s modern slavery legislation as among the most progressive in the world and calling on Washington to reverse course. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon echoed the sentiment, describing the tariffs as “extremely disappointing.”

China, hit with a 12.5 percent tariff of its own, also condemned the move. Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters that tariff wars and trade wars do not serve any parties’ interests. The renewed dispute adds fresh friction to global trade relations at a moment already strained by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, and comes as governments around the world weigh how forcefully to respond to Washington’s trade posture without escalating into broader economic retaliation.