Europe 'Relieved', China 'Opposes' as U.S. Imposes Forced Labor Tariffs

Europe: “In Line with Existing Trade Agreement”
China: “Opposed to Unilateral Tariffs”

While the United States has decided to impose new tariffs on major trading partners citing forced labor, Europe expressed relief, stating that it remains within the scope of existing trade agreements, whereas China strongly objected, calling it a unilateral tariff measure.

Olof Gill, spokesperson for the European Commission, stated on July 24 (local time) that the new U.S. tariff regime imposes a 10% tariff rate on the European Union, explaining, "This is in line with the commitments the United States made under the existing trade agreement signed between the two parties in July of last year, and we view it positively."

The European Union had imposed a fine of approximately 1.5 trillion won on U.S. tech giant Google the previous day for violating digital competition laws. While there were concerns that the United States might retaliate with tariff hikes, sentiment has eased now that the new tariff rate has been set within the boundaries of the existing agreement.

By contrast, China reaffirmed its fundamental opposition. Lin Jian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated at a regular press briefing that same day, "We oppose all forms of unilateral tariff measures," adding, "Tariff wars and trade wars benefit no one." However, China did not announce any specific countermeasures.

The U.S. administration led by President Donald Trump, on July 23 (local time), imposed so-called “forced labor tariffs” ranging from 10% to 12.5% on 60 economic regions, including Korea and China, based on Section 301 of the Trade Act.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.