US proposes additional 12.5% tariffs on India:PM Modi-led govt denies forced labour charges, asks America to argue during trade deal talks

US may impose additional 12.5% tariffs on India as the Trump administration has found India guilty of encouraging forced labour in investigations concluded recently. The US Trade Representative has proposed slapping 12.5 per cent additional duties on 54 countries, including India, for failing to prohibit (stop) the import of goods produced with forced labour. The action follows investigations launched against 60 countries over what the USTR described as their failure to impose and effectively enforce bans on imports made with forced labour. How forced labour encouraged by other countries impact America? The failure of our most important trading partners to address the importation of goods made with forced labour is unacceptable. This creates a dynamic where American workers are forced to compete globally on an unlevel playing field. We will no longer tolerate this disparity. -US Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer India denies charges India has denied the allegations under the forced labour clause and asked the US to end the investigations, saying such matters should be addressed within the framework of ongoing bilateral trade negotiations (This is a developing news)