Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1547450
50 SMT007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2026 TA R I F F T E R M I N A L BY JA M ES K I M , A R E N T F OX S C H I F F L L P This month, I'm looking at the new Section 301 "forced labor" tariffs, which are having a sweeping effect on many key inputs into the electronics supply chain. I'll review what the U.S. government is doing to enforce these new tariff measures, including tightening requirements for who can import goods into the country. If your operation imports a server, bare board, power supply, connector, cable assembly, or finished device, a single purchase order may now be subject to multiple tariff systems before it reaches your warehouse. The same product could be excluded from one tariff, exposed to another, or face detention over its supply chain. A New Country-based Layer On July 23, 2026, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced final Section 301 actions against 60 economies for failures to impose and effectively enforce prohibitions on forced-labor imports. Duties took effect July 24. According to USTR, those partners accounted for 99.4% of U.S. imports, so this is not a niche program. Most covered products face 10% when the economy has an import prohibition, a qualifying commitment, or a partial regime, and 12.5% other- wise. For the European Union and Taiwan, the regular most-favored-nation (MFN) duty plus Section 301 is capped, or "topped up," to 10%. The Taking Stock of the New FORCED-LABOR TARIFFS