USTR Greer Says Forced-Labor Tariff Action May Come Thursday

According to Yonhap, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said his office could release a final response as early as Thursday to trade investigations covering 60 trading partners over forced labor concerns, with South Korea and other countries waiting for new U.S. tariffs. He told the Senate Committee on Finance in a written statement that the Trump administration is preparing new levies based on months-long Section 301 investigations launched in March, including separate probes involving South Korea and 15 other economies over alleged unfair trade practices tied to excess capacity and production. Greer said the United States will continue to impose tariffs and negotiate deals to support reindustrialization, protect American workers, raise wages and narrow the trade deficit. Last month, the USTR proposed a 12.5% tariff on South Korea and dozens of other economies over alleged failures to enforce bans on products made with forced labor, while the South Korean government asked Washington to reconsider the measure as unwarranted and disproportionate. The administration's temporary 10% global tariff is set to expire on Friday.