New Zealand PM 'New US Tariffs Extremely Disappointing'

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon condemned new US tariffs on Friday as "extremely disappointing" after his and 59 other countries were slapped with fresh levies over forced labour concerns.

"The US investigation did not provide meaningful evidence to support claims in relation to forced labour," Luxon said on X. "Tariffs are not the way -- they drive up costs and uncertainty for



businesses," he added.

The levies, effective Friday, range from 10 percent to 12.5 percent and impact major economies like China, India and the European Union. New Zealand faces a 12.5 percent rate.

 Australia was also slapped with the same levy, with trade minister Don Farrell describing them as "unjustified, inconsistent with our free trade agreement, and should be removed".