Shenzhen TechFlow News, July 24 – The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) issued a statement on July 23 local time, announcing that under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, tariffs of 10% to 12.5% will be imposed on dozens of countries and regions under the pretext of so-called ‘forced labor,’ replacing the soon-to-expire global import tariffs. The new tariffs will take effect at 12:00 PM ET on July 24 (12:00 PM Beijing time on July 24).
USTR stated that upon the expiration of the 10% global tariff, tariffs will be imposed on 60 economies, covering over 99% of US trade volume. Senior US officials indicated that tariff measures on goods in transit will take effect at 12:01 AM ET on July 28 (12:01 PM Beijing time on July 28). Imported goods such as fuel, food, and fertilizers will be exempt from the new tariffs; products subject to specific industry-specific tariffs (such as automobiles, metals, and pharmaceuticals) will also not be included in the scope.
Additionally, goods covered under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will also be exempt. US officials noted that the new tariffs will not be applied in addition to existing steel and aluminum import duties (i.e., the ‘Section 232’ tariffs imposed by Trump last year on national security grounds). (Jin Shi)
