The Big Story: Why is Singapore being hit by a new US tariff under forced labour concerns?

The United States is proposing a new 12.5 percent tariff on imports linked to so-called “forced labour goods”, under Section 301 of its Trade Act.

This significant measure could affect approximately one-third of Singapore’s domestic exports to the US. While Singapore has reiterated that it does not condone forced labour and finds no evidence of such practices within its supply chains, the nation continues to engage with the US on this developing matter.

So what exactly does this tariff mean in practice? And what could this mean for businesses and trade ties between Singapore and the US moving forward?

On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks to Kevin Chen, Associate Research Fellow with the US Programme, Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) to find out more.

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