The US Trump administration has proposed new import tariffs on 60 nations, including Bangladesh, citing deep ongoing concerns over forced labor. The Office of the US Trade Representative published the proposal on Tuesday as the latest finding of a Section 301 investigation into unfair global trade practices. Federal trade officials asserted that commodities manufactured via forced labor significantly disrupt domestic American commerce.The structural realignment comes as Washington attempts to reconstruct its emergency trade framework.
The aggressive policy push follows a US Supreme Court ruling in February that effectively struck down the administration`s previous emergency tariff system. According to the official USTR notice, a specific group of 14 nations and the European Union will face an additional 10 percent tariff on all goods exported to the United States. This targeted list includes Canada, Ecuador, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Malaysia, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the EU.
The regulatory trade body further noted that the remaining 45 countries currently under investigation will be subjected to a higher 12.5 percent penal tariff. International commerce experts warn that the broad tariff expansion could heavily penalize primary export sectors like ready-made garments, which form the backbone of Bangladesh`s foreign trade. Formal execution dates for the newly proposed structural duties remain subject to final executive clearance.
