China Rejects 12.5% New U.S. Tariff on Forced-Labor Imports
The levy adds to existing duties on Chinese goods, while Beijing has not announced any retaliation.
China rejected a new 12.5% United States tariff on imports from the country that took effect on Friday, after Washington imposed new duties on 60 trading partners over enforcement of a ban on goods suspected of being made with forced labor. Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Beijing opposes all forms of unilateral tariffs and warned that a tariff war benefits no one. According to the Office of the US Trade Representative, the new tariffs range from 10% to 12.5%; countries that already have import bans linked to forced labor, including Canada, the European Union and Britain, received the lower 10% rate. For China, the 12.5% levy is added on top of duties already in place. The Donald Trump administration rolled out the new scheme ahead of the expiration of a global 10% tariff launched earlier this year.