US eyes new tariffs on Philippines 59 countries

MANILA, Philippines, June 5 ------ The United States is looking to impose new tariffs of at least 10 percent on goods coming from the Philippines and 59 other economies for failing to curb imports produced with forced labor.

In a statement, the US Trade Representative (USTR) said it is proposing additional duties ranging from 10 to 12.5 percent on goods from 60 economies for their inability to effectively prevent the entry of goods produced with forced labor into their respective markets.

The Philippines is among the 60 economies covered by the USTR probe launched in March into the alleged failure to prohibit imports made with forced labor. “USTR found that the Philippines has failed to impose and effectively enforce a forced labor import prohibition,” the USTR said in a report on the probe’s findings. Trade Secretary Cristina Roque emphasized the country’s zero tolerance for forced labor. “The Philippines is actively engaging with the US and submits that the country has a strong policy against forced labor,” she said in a Viber message.

Apart from the Philippines, the USTR said other economies that have failed to impose and effectively enforce the prohibition of imports made with forced labor are Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Australia, the Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Peru, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela and Vietnam.

Other economies that failed to enforce measures to stop imports of goods produced with forced labor are Canada, Ecuador, the European Union, Indonesia, Mexico and Pakistan, according to the USTR. “The failure of our most important trading partners to address the importation of goods made with forced labor is unacceptable. This creates a dynamic where American workers are forced to compete globally on an unlevel playing field,” USTR Jamieson Greer said.

He said that trading partners need to do more to ensure that trade does not encourage forced labor globally. Affected economies have until July 6 to provide comments on the proposed actions. The USTR will hold hearings on the proposed actions on July 7. At present, Philippine goods entering the US are subject to the 10 percent baseline tariff that was imposed after the US Supreme Court struck down the reciprocal tariffs in February.

Prior to the Supreme Court ruling, the US was imposing a 19-percent duty on Philippine exports, excluding key agricultural products and semiconductors. Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) president Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. said in a statement that the country’s exporters are implementing responsible sourcing, transparency and compliance with labor standards demanded by global markets. “A blanket tariff approach risks penalizing compliant exporters and workers while overlooking the substantial reforms already undertaken by the Philippines”, he said. “Philexport remains committed to supporting initiatives that uphold workers’ rights, strengthen supply chain integrity, preserve market access and foster a fair, rules-based international trading

environment,” he added.

Source: philstar.com