The administration of US President Donald Trump has announced new tariffs on imported goods from 60 trading partners. The tariffs amount to 10 per cent and 12.5 per cent. According to CNN and NPR, the US Department of Commerce has stated that the new tariffs apply to more than 99 per cent of imports.
The Trump administration justified the decision to impose tariffs on the grounds that the countries affected have not introduced, or are not sufficiently enforcing, a ‘ban on imports of goods produced using forced labour’.
The list of countries from which imports will be subject to a 12.5 per cent tariff includes Russia and China.
For goods from the European Union, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Switzerland, the rate will be 10 per cent or 12.5 per cent, taking into account existing trade tariffs.
In the spring of 2025, Trump announced the introduction of tariffs on imports from many countries around the world. Russia was not included in the list of countries for which tariffs were introduced at that time. The US Supreme Court ruled that the tariffs were unlawful and ordered them to be lifted by 24 July 2026.
Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump signed three executive orders imposing a 50 per cent tariff on a wide range of Canadian goods – from wine and ice hockey sticks to cement, building materials and electrical equipment.