US imposes 12.5% tariff on select Singapore goods from Friday
What's next: Singapore says about one-third of its domestic exports to the US could be affected by the new duties.
The United States will impose a 12.5% tariff on select goods from Singapore starting Friday after concluding the country lacks sufficient measures to block imports made wholly or partly with forced labor. The action follows a Section 301 investigation into 60 trading partners, with the US Trade Representative finding in June that 54 economies, including Singapore, failed to effectively enforce a forced-labor import ban. Singapore had argued there was no technical or economic basis for tariffs, noting the US runs a growing trade surplus with the city-state. Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan raised the issue with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Manila during ASEAN meetings. Goods already covered by sector-specific tariffs, including steel and aluminum, are excluded.