The United States has proposed new tariffs on imports from 60 countries, including Bangladesh, citing a failure to curb trade in goods produced by forced labor. The Trump administration unveiled the proposal on Tuesday local time, according to a Reuters report.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) stated that under a Section 301 investigation, an additional 10% tariff has been proposed on goods imported from 15 economies—including Bangladesh, Canada, the European Union, Mexico, Pakistan, Argentina, Cambodia, Malaysia, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. For the remaining 45 countries under investigation, the additional tariff rate will be 12.5%.

The USTR claims that the involved nations have failed to take adequate measures to prevent trade in forced labor goods, subjecting American workers and manufacturers to unfair competition in the global market.

In a statement, US Trade Representative Jamison Greer said, "The failure of our vital trading partners to halt the importation of goods made with forced labor is unacceptable. It has exacerbated an unlevel playing field for American workers in the global market."

The USTR also announced a proposed new textile import program, under which certain quantities of apparel and textile goods could enter the US at lower tariff rates. However, the exact tariff rates and import volumes for this program have not yet been determined.

This announcement comes just as the temporary 10% universal tariff imposed by the Trump administration is scheduled to expire on July 24. That tariff had taken effect on February 20 of this year before the US Supreme Court struck down the measure, which had been implemented under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Earlier on Monday, based on the findings of a separate Section 301 investigation into Brazil's digital trade policies and preferential tariff system, the USTR proposed a 25% tariff on various Brazilian products. Additionally, the results of another major investigation into industrial overcapacity across 16 countries, including China, are expected to be released soon.

However, certain goods have been excluded from the new tariff framework, including energy, rare earth minerals, specific metals, beef, coffee, certain fruits and vegetables, pharmaceuticals, organic chemicals, and aircraft parts.

Public comments on the proposed tariffs and related remedies will be accepted through July 6, and the USTR will host a public hearing on the matter on July 7.