China Strongly Opposes US Additional Tariffs Over "Forced Labor"

The Chinese government has taken a strong stance, stating it "firmly opposes" the United States imposing additional tariffs citing "forced labor" as the reason.

According to China's Ministry of Commerce, in a statement released on July 27 under the spokesperson's name, it criticized the move by saying, "The United States has long politicized the issue of forced labor, and imposing unilateral tariffs under this pretext is a typical act of unilateralism and protectionism." The ministry emphasized, "China has consistently opposed forced labor and has established relevant laws and systems to strictly prevent and crack down on forced labor practices."

The spokesperson continued, "The United States has reiterated several times its intention to replace tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which has already lost its effectiveness, and import duties under Section 122 of the Trade Expansion Act, with Section 301 tariffs." The statement also recalled, "During economic and trade negotiations between China and the US, the United States made a clear promise that alternative tariffs on Chinese products would not exceed 20%." The ministry urged the US to "correct its erroneous actions and withdraw unilateral tariff measures," adding, "We hope both sides will continue dialogue based on mutual respect, equality, and reciprocity to resolve each other's concerns and jointly implement the consensus reached in economic and trade negotiations."

Earlier, on July 23 (local time), the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) imposed "forced labor tariffs" of 10% to 12.5% on 60 countries, including Korea and China, based on Section 301 of the Trade Act. Chinese products are subject to an additional tariff of 12.5%.

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