Canadian geese swim in front of the Port of Vancouver in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. —Paige Taylor White—Bloomberg/Getty ImagesOfficials around the world are pushing back on the claims of “forced labor” the Trump Administration has cited to impose sweeping new tariffs on over 80 countries.The import duties, which will affect 60 economies and take effect on Friday, represent President Donald Trump’s latest effort to impose alternative tariffs on goods coming into the U.S. after the Supreme Court earlier this year struck down most of those he had put in place.In a Thursday announcement, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) said the new tariffs of between 10% and 12.5% were being levied against dozens of countries “for their failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor.”Read More: Trump’s New Tariffs on Over 80 Countries, Explained“The United States has had a forced labor import ban for nearly a century, and rigorously enforces it; it’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement. “Today’s action will begin to correct what is both a human rights abuse and distortive trade practice to improve the welfare of workers everywhere.”The U.S. Tariff Act of 1930 prohibits importing goods whose production involved forced labor. Trump imposed the tariffs under Section 301 of the law, which allows for sanctions on countries that have engaged in trade practices that are “unreasonable or discriminatory and burdens or restricts United States commerce.”Among the expansive group of countries that will be affected by the new tariffs are some of the U.S.’s closest allies and most major trading partners. Collectively, they account for roughly 99.4% of U.S. imports, according to a USTR factsheet.Officials from a number of the impacted nations objected to the stated rationale for the tariffs, expressing a mix of disappointment, anger, and confusion.New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon called the 12.5% tariffs on his country “extremely disappointing.”“The US investigation did not provide meaningful evidence to support claims in relation to forced labour,” Luxon wrote on X. “Tariffs are not the way - they drive up costs and uncertainty for businesses.”Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell likewise called the tariffs “completely unjustified” and vowed, while speaking to reporters, to continue pushing for the removal of “all tariffs on Australian goods.”Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara also protested the tariffs.“It is regrettable that the measure imposes tariffs on the grounds of non-existence of measures banning imports of goods made by forced labor, even though Japan’s industry and trade are in line with international rules,” Kihara said at a press conference.China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated its stance that it “opposes all forms of unilateral tariffs.”“Tariff wars and trade wars do not serve any parties’ interests,” ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a press conference.Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said "We are firmly opposed to the United States's unilateral use of customs duties against Norway and other countries.”Brazil, striking the same chord, said that the tariffs were “arbitrary” and “unjustified.”"Lacking a legal basis under domestic law to support its protectionist trade policy, the U.S. Trade Representative chose to manipulate an issue of great importance to human rights and workers' rights movement," the Brazilian government said in a statement. The majority of the affected countries were assigned a 12.5% rate for the new tariffs.However, imports will be taxed at a slightly lower 10% rate for a group of 17 economies that the USTR in its fact sheet described as having “made commitments to adopt, and effectively enforce, forced labor import prohibitions.” Within that group of countries are Canada, India, Mexico, and the U.K., among others.Officials from several of those countries offered more muted responses to the new levies, though they continued to note their opposition to Trump’s aggressive tariff approach.Canadian Minister of Internal Trade Dominic LeBlanc, whose country Trump also hit with a separate 50% tariff hike earlier in the week, said the tariffs were “not unexpected,” since they came just as a 10% global tariff Trump previously imposed expired.“Canada shares the United States’ objective of ensuring goods produced with forced labour do not enter our supply chains,” LeBlanc in a statement. He went on to stress, though, that “Canada has one of the world’s most robust frameworks to prevent and address forced labour, backed by strong legislative and enforcement measures.”Mexico’s Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard similarly noted the timing of the new tariffs coinciding with the expiration of the others."One replaces the other, so tariff treatment is maintained,” Mexico's Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on social media. Bank of France Governor Emmanuel Moulin told BFM Business TV that Europe would likely see little change with the imposition of the new tariffs due to an agreement reached in July 2025 that set a cap on U.S. tariffs for most European Union goods at 15%."For Europe, it ought not to change much because we have the Turnberry agreement which should be respected by Donald Trump,” Moulin said. “But,” he added, “obviously it creates more uncertainty for world trade and clearly it's not favourable for growth.”The British government also said that the new tariffs would have "no negative change" on its export economy. Other countries receiving the 10% tariff such as Malaysia, Cambodia, and Bangladesh stated that they were relieved or even pleased by the rate.