USTR Chief Rebuffs Washington Post Editorial on Forced Labor Tariffs

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, June 11 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer has sent a letter to the Washington Post editorial board to rebut its recent editorial criticizing proposed tariffs on South Korea and other economies over forced labor concerns, saying the piece was driven by its "antipathy" toward President Donald Trump.

The USTR office said that Greer wrote the letter in response to the June 3 editorial, in which the newspaper argued that the new tariff announcement represented a "pretext for protectionism" and that if it were not, China would not be subject to the same new import taxes as South Korea, Japan and Switzerland.

The USTR has proposed imposing additional tariffs of 10 percent or 12.5 percent on imports from 60 economies over what it called their failure to effectively enforce prohibitions on the importation of goods made with forced labor. South Korea, China and Japan are among 54 economies that could face 12.5 percent tariffs.

"Only the Washington Post Editorial Board would find a way to advocate for a laissez-faire approach to modern slavery," Greer said in the letter posted on the USTR office's website in response to the editorial, titled "Trump tries a new trick to raise tariffs."

He added, "The Post's opposition obviously is driven by its antipathy toward the president, because for nearly one hundred years, U.S. law has prohibited the import of goods made in whole or in part with forced labor."

Greer also said that he understands the Post's editorial board may want to give a "pass to foreign countries that choose to turn a blind eye to forced labor abroad."

"It might never bring itself to publish the headline 'President Trump does more to combat modern slavery than any president in a century,'" he said. "But let me be clear: under President Trump, the United States will no longer tolerate forced labor in global supply chains."

The USTR office carried out trade investigations into 60 economies over forced labor concerns under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act. It has also been conducting inquiries into South Korea, China, Japan and 13 other economies to uncover "unfair" trade practices related to "structural" overcapacity and production under the same law.

The investigations came as the Trump administration has sought to roll out new tariffs to replace country-specific "reciprocal" tariffs that the Supreme Court struck down in February.