(June 4): Singapore denied forced labour allegations from the US, responding after President Donald Trump proposed new tariffs linked to the practice in an attempt to rebuild his protectionist wall.
The city-state doesn’t condone forced labour and there’s no evidence of its role in the supply chains of goods associated with it, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Trade and Industry said in an emailed reply to Bloomberg News.
The Trump administration proposed new tariffs this week on dozens of nations following an inquiry into how trade partners handle goods allegedly produced by forced labour. Products from Singapore and some other nations would be subject to a 12.5% levy.
The ministry said that about one-third of Singapore’s domestic exports to the US will be affected by the tariffs, and pledged to continue engaging with Washington on the issue.
The US move is a major step in Trump’s push to reinstate the tariffs he imposed during his first year in office before they were deemed unconstitutional. The recommended duties are a result of probes launched under a separate legal authority known as Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.
A separate raft of 301 investigations includes a review of US trading partners’ excess manufacturing capacity — including Singapore — the findings of which may also be released soon.
See also: Singapore tops Indonesia as biggest Southeast Asia stock market
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