Taiwan to restrict forced labor-linked imports after U.S. tariff proposal

Taipei, June 4 (CNA) Taiwan will establish a review mechanism to restrict imports of goods linked to forced labor, the Executive Yuan said Thursday, after the United States proposed imposing additional tariffs on Taiwanese goods over related concerns.

"The Ministry of Labor (MOL) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) will establish an interministerial review procedure," Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said at a news briefing in Taipei.

"The government will use the Foreign Trade Act as the legal basis to restrict imports of goods produced with forced labor" and bring its supply chain governance more into line with international standards on human rights, resilience and sustainability, Lee said, without elaborating.

Her remarks came days after the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced that Taiwan was among 60 economies found in an investigation to have failed to impose or effectively enforce a ban on imports of goods produced with forced labor.

The USTR said the failure is "unreasonable" and "burdens or restricts" U.S. commerce, and it proposed an additional 10 percent tariff on 14 economies, including Taiwan, while the remaining 46 could face a 12.5 percent tariff.

While the USTR investigation focused on forced labor-linked imports into Taiwan and other economies, Taiwan-made goods have also faced scrutiny over forced labor concerns.

In September 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a withhold release order on bicycles, bicycle parts and accessories made in Taiwan by Giant Manufacturing Co., citing forced labor indicators including wage withholding, excessive overtime, and abusive working and living conditions.

Benjamin Hsu (徐崇欽), an official with the Executive Yuan's Office of Trade Negotiations, told the briefing that the government has continued helping businesses prevent forced labor.

Part of that effort includes proposed amendments to the Employment Service Act, which currently await legislative approval, that would "fully prohibit" employers from withholding workers' identity documents or property, according to Hsu.