The new levies follow an investigation into the alleged failure of around 60 economies to prevent forced labor in their supply chains to the detriment of American workers. Asian nations described the Trump administration’s latest tariffs as baseless and unjustified, while stopping short of any retaliatory moves. President Trump campaigned on tariffs, and this is the consequence,” said New Zealand Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay. The more deliberative approach stands in contrast to the immediacy and unpredictability of Trump’s tariff barrages through much of 2025. That report recommended a 12.5% duty for countries deemed to lack laws that ban imports produced with forced labor.