Why Trump’s New Tariff Plan Focuses on Forced Labor: Explainer

The Trump administration has hit on a new way to impose tariffs on 60 nations that supply almost all US imports — accuse them of failing to enforce bans on foreign goods made with forced labor.

If approved, the levies will create a new trade barrier that may be less vulnerable to legal challenges than Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs that were unveiled in April last year and struck down by the Supreme Court in February.

The US government said the affected countries either haven’t banned imports made with forced labor, or haven’t properly enforced such bans. Its argument is not about ...