US’s 12.5% tariff fails to reflect Vietnam’s efforts to prevent forced labor: Foreign Ministry
Vietnam strictly prohibits all forms of forced labor and fully complies with the regulations of the International Labor Organization (ILO), international treaties and free trade agreements to which it is a party, said spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang.
Responding to reporters’ questions regarding the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)’s decision to impose a new 12.5% tariff on goods from all economies under investigation pursuant to Section 301, Hang noted that the Vietnamese Government issued Decree 292/2026/ND-CP on July 22, 2026, which bans the import of goods extracted or manufactured wholly or partly through forced labor.
The USTR’s decision fails to fully reflect the realities on the ground and Vietnam’s efforts to prevent, reduce and eliminate forced labor, including its ban on imports of goods produced with forced labor, Hang said.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang. Photo courtesy of the ministry |
Vietnam will continue working with the U.S. in a constructive and cooperative spirit, while urging the U.S. side to fully take into account the measures Vietnam has adopted when adjusting tariffs on Vietnamese goods, consistent with the actual situation and Vietnam’s ongoing legislative and enforcement push, she said.
The United States said it would impose new tariffs effective Friday on 60 trading partners over forced labor concerns, replacing an expiring global duty rolled out earlier by President Donald Trump.
Economies that have implemented a forced labor import prohibition or committed to do so are hit with the lower 10% rate. They include Canada, the EU, India and the United Kingdom.
China, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam are among 38 others hit with the higher 12.5% tariff.
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