China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated its stance that it “opposes all forms of unilateral tariffs.”
“Tariff wars and trade wars do not serve any parties’ interests,” ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a press conference.
Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said “We are firmly opposed to the United States’s unilateral use of customs duties against Norway and other countries.”
Brazil, striking the same chord, said that the tariffs were “arbitrary” and “unjustified.”
“Lacking a legal basis under domestic law to support its protectionist trade policy, the U.S. Trade Representative chose to manipulate an issue of great importance to human rights and workers’ rights movement,” the Brazilian government said in a statement.
The majority of the affected countries were assigned a 12.5% rate for the new tariffs.
However, imports will be taxed at a slightly lower 10% rate for a group of 17 economies that the USTR in its fact sheet described as having “made commitments to adopt, and effectively enforce, forced labor import prohibitions.” Within that group of countries are Canada, India, Mexico, and the U.K., among others.