The White House’s top trade official said on Tuesday that new tariffs targeting around 60 economies are expected to be announced soon.
In an interview with CNBC, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said his office had opened investigations into certain trade practices, including the use of forced labour.
He said the outcome of those investigations is expected by the end of the week and that “we should see movement soon,” although he added that he could not give a precise timetable.
The planned duties could affect the United States’ main trading partners, including the European Union.
They are intended to replace the temporary 10% tariffs imposed by Donald Trump after the Supreme Court struck down many of the duties he introduced last year.
In late February, the court ruled that a large part of the tariffs sought by the US president had been based on an unconstitutional interpretation of the law.
Sector-specific tariffs were not affected by that ruling, including those on cars, steel, aluminium and copper.
Trump then announced new tariffs under a different law, but that measure allows such surcharges to remain in place for no more than 150 days.
At the same time, the US trade representative launched a series of investigations that could provide a legal basis for making the tariffs permanent.
To do so, Greer’s office is relying on the same law already used to justify sector-specific tariffs.
