A sweeping new round of US tariffs took effect Friday, targeting 60 trading partners and replacing an expiring global duty rolled out earlier this year.

The levies, ranging from 10% to 12.5%, hit major economies including China, India, and the European Union, sparking immediate protests from Beijing, Tokyo, and Canberra. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer defended the measures, citing America’s century-old forced labor import ban and urging partners to adopt similar standards.

The Trump administration moved quickly to rebuild its tariff wall after the Supreme Court struck down earlier duties in February. The new measures, proposed in June after a months-long investigation, are designed to withstand legal challenges.

Countries with forced labor bans, such as Canada, the EU, India, and the UK, face the lower 10% rate. Others, including China, Japan, and South Korea, were hit with the higher 12.5% tariff. Some relief was granted under existing trade pacts, while exemptions remain for steel, aluminum, energy products, fertilizers, and goods covered by the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Foreign governments condemned the move: Japan expressed “regret,” Australia called the duties “unjustified,” and China warned trade wars serve “no party’s interests.” The EU, however, welcomed the alignment with its joint tariff commitments.

Washington is also probing 16 economies for industrial overcapacity, signaling more duties could follow. Analysts say the administration’s strategy maintains leverage, incentivizes compliance with trade pacts, and signals a more protectionist US economy.

Recent actions include a 25% tariff on Brazilian goods and a 50% duty on Canadian products, underscoring what experts describe as “fragile” tariff deals and Trump’s willingness to wield untested legal tools to expand his trade arsenal.