At 00:01 Eastern Time on July 24, the Trump administration invoked Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act, citing “trade partners’ failure to effectively enforce bans on forced labor,” imposing new tariffs ranging from 10% to 12.5% on goods from 60 economies—including the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, and China (with China, India, and Switzerland subject to 12.5%, and Argentina, Mexico, Canada, and several ASEAN countries subject to 10%). This move precisely replaced the 10% global provisional tariffs under Section 122 that expired on the same day.
The tariff covers 99.4% of U.S. import goods, with exemptions for oil and gas, fertilizers, certain food products, and automotive steel, aluminum, and copper under Section 232, as well as USMCA North American content goods; transit goods are granted a grace period until July 28. USTR Gruebel described this as “correcting human rights violations and trade distortions,” but legal experts note that Section 301 tariffs have weathered past litigation and are harder for courts to block than the IEEPA “reciprocal tariffs” overturned by the Supreme Court in February. In essence, this is the White House rebranding its strategy after the Supreme Court rejected emergency declaration tariffs, reviving its campaign-era vision of “near-global tariffs” by re-establishing them at the 10% baseline.
Norway, Australia and Brazil immediately protested as “unfounded”. Canada took a reserved stance, stating it would continue negotiations. China has clearly opposed allowing domestic laws to override multilateral rules. Cross-border sellers must incorporate an additional 10% – 12.5% tax into their pricing models, and closely monitor the transit window on July 28 and the industry exemption list.
HEAHLTHSMILE Medical Technology Co., Ltd. has already prepared proactive response plans for American customers to safeguard their interests.
Post time: Jul-26-2026