Things have changed again?Is the United States planning to impose another 12.5% tariff?
- Author:Maintenance network
- Source:Maintenance network
- Release Date:2026-06-05
On June 2, local time, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced that it had completed the 301 investigation on the "Implementation of the Import Ban of Forced Labor Products" against 60 economies and proposed to impose additional 301 tariffs of 10% or 12.5% on imported goods from relevant economies.Relevant measures are currently in the public consultation stage and have not yet officially taken effect.Mainland China, Hong Kong, China, etc. are included in the 12.5% tax group. According to the proposed plan announced by the USTR, two levels of additional tariff rates will be applied to different economies: the 10% additional tariff applies to economies that have established relevant bans, have committed to implement relevant systems, or have adopted some control measures, including: Canada, the European Union, Mexico, Indonesia, Pakistan, etc.The 12.5% additional tariff applies to economies that are deemed to have not established or effectively implemented relevant systems, including 54 economies including mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, India, Vietnam, Singapore, Australia, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Switzerland.USTR stated that the above-mentioned additional tariffs apply in principle to all imported goods from the relevant economies, but some products will receive exemptions.Some commodities are planned to be exempted. According to the attachment to the announcement, the scope of the proposed exemptions mainly includes: some agricultural products; medicines, vaccines and medical supplies; chemicals and some industrial raw materials; aircraft and aviation parts; some electronic components; precious metals such as gold and silver; products such as steel, aluminum, automobiles and parts that have been subject to Section 232 tariff measures; related goods that comply with the rules of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), etc.Entering the public consultation stage
According to the procedural schedule announced by USTR: Hearing application deadline: June 22, 2026 Written opinion submission deadline: July 6, 2026 Public hearing start date: July 7, 2026 Post-hearing supplementary opinion submission deadline: Within 5 days after the hearing. This means that relevant measures still need to go through public comment and hearing procedures, and the final tax rate and implementation scope may still be adjusted.The U.S. tariff tools are shifting to the Section 301 mechanism. It is noteworthy that this investigation is regarded as an important new trend in U.S. trade policy.In March this year, the Office of the United States Trade Representative launched a Section 301 investigation targeting 60 economies; in early June, it officially announced the investigation results and proposed measures.The market generally believes that as some tariff measures face legal challenges, the United States is relying more on Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 as a new trade enforcement tool.Reuters, Wall Street Journal and other media reported that the investigation covers a wide range of areas, not only involving China, but also major U.S. trading partners such as the European Union, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Canada, and has attracted the attention of many economies.Industry Observation Judging from the current situation, the content announced this time is still a "proposed measure" and a formal taxation decision has not yet been formed.In the coming weeks, relevant industry associations, enterprises and governments of various economies are expected to submit opinions one after another.For export companies, they need to focus on the results of the July hearing and the final ruling, especially the specific details such as the product exemption list, implementation time, and whether it will be superimposed with the existing 301 tariffs. These will directly affect future export costs and supply chain layout to the United States.