US tariff hikes dismay and anger trading partners

US President Donald Trump’s latest set of tariff hikes yesterday drew objections the US’ trading partners, including China and Japan, with Australia slamming them as “completely unjustified.”The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) late on Thursday announced extra tariffs of 10 to 12.5 percent on 60 economies, saying the countries had failed to adequately enforce a ban on goods made with forced labor.The new tariffs took effect just as stopgap levies Trump imposed after a stinging defeat at the Supreme Court expired at 12:01am yesterday. A customer shops for food at a supermarket in London yesterday. Photo: EPA Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell rejected claims linking Australia, a major exporter of beef, gold and copper, to modern slavery and raising the tariff