The United States has announced plans to impose new tariffs of between 10% and 12.5% on 60 trading partners, citing concerns that those countries have failed to adequately prevent the importation of goods produced with forced labour.
The proposal marks the second major tariff initiative by President Donald Trump's administration since court rulings earlier this year invalidated several previous trade measures.
The affected countries account for nearly all goods imported into the United States, and the tariffs would be subject to a review process before taking effect.
The proposed duties follow an investigation launched in March by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.
According to the findings, most of the 60 trading partners failed to impose or effectively enforce prohibitions on imports linked to forced labour.
The US Trade Department said the situation places American workers at a disadvantage by allowing competition from goods produced under conditions that do not meet US standards.
Under the proposal, imports from countries including the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada, Mexico, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan would face tariffs of 10%.
A higher rate of 12.5% would apply to countries including China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and Switzerland.
The measures have not yet been implemented and remain open to public comment and review.
Several governments rejected the US assessment and questioned the proposed tariffs.
The European Commission said it shared concerns about forced labour but considered tariffs imposed on those grounds to be unjustified.
EU officials also reiterated their expectation that the United States would respect the terms of a trade agreement reached last year.
The UK government said it had already addressed forced labour through legislation, including the Modern Slavery Act, and emphasized ongoing engagement with Washington.
China denied allegations that goods produced with forced labour enter its supply chains and opposed unilateral tariff measures.
In India, trade analysts described the proposal as part of broader US pressure tactics and argued that any concerns over forced labour should remain separate from ongoing trade negotiations.
The latest tariff proposal also follows a series of legal challenges to earlier Trump administration tariffs, highlighting continuing tensions over US trade policy and its future direction.