Norway rejects US claim on forced labour and opposes tariffs

Norway rejects a U.S. assessment that the Nordic country has failed to prevent ​forced labour, its foreign minister told ‌Reuters, adding that the allegation was unfounded and should not be used by President Donald Trump ​to justify new tariffs.

The Trump administration ​on Tuesday proposed tariffs of up to 12.5% ⁠on imports from 60 countries, including Norway, ​after determining they had failed to curb ​trade in goods made with forced labour, an assertion many U.S. trading partners rejected.

"We strongly disagree with the ​U.S. authorities' assessment that Norway is not ​doing enough to prevent forced labour," Norwegian Minister of ‌Foreign ⁠Affairs Espen Barth Eide said in a statement to Reuters late on Thursday.

"Norway was among the first countries to introduce legislation ​to prevent ​forced labour ⁠in supply chains, through the Transparency Act. We have communicated this ​clearly to U.S. authorities," Barth Eide ​said.

Trump's ⁠threat to slap new tariffs on trade partners will do little to fight modern ⁠slavery — ​and could even make things ​worse, experts, business groups and some human rights groups have ​said.

-Reuters