The United States will impose a new 10% tariff on imports from Malaysia beginning Friday, as President Donald Trump’s administration introduces fresh duties on goods from 60 trading partners over allegations they have not done enough to enforce bans on forced labour.
The tariffs, announced through a Federal Register notice, will replace the temporary 10% global tariff introduced after the US Supreme Court struck down Trump’s earlier reciprocal tariffs in February. The new measures take effect at 12.01am EDT on Friday (0401 GMT), with goods already in transit exempt until July 28.
Malaysia is among 18 countries facing a 10% duty, alongside Canada, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the United Kingdom. The remaining 38 countries, including China, will face tariffs of 12.5%, while the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Switzerland were assigned rates that, together with existing tariff schedules, amount to either 10% or 12.5%.
The new duties are being imposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, a legal avenue viewed as less vulnerable to court challenges than the emergency powers used for Trump’s previous tariff regime.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the action was aimed at addressing forced labour concerns among trading partners.
“The United States has had a forced labour import ban for nearly a century, and rigorously enforces it. It’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same,” he said.
The White House said the tariffs would apply to 99.4% of US imports, although several categories, including oil and gas, fertiliser, selected food products and goods already subject to national security tariffs such as steel, aluminium, copper and automobiles, will be exempt.
Trump administration officials said countries that have already negotiated tariff agreements with Washington would not face duties exceeding previously agreed caps.
Several countries criticised the move. Australia and Brazil described the tariffs as unjustified and said they would seek their removal, while Canada said it would continue engaging with the US over the new measures. Norway also rejected the basis for the tariff, saying it already had clear rules to prevent trade in goods produced using forced labour.
Reuters
