| Date: 2025/07/16 | File Size: 218.48 MB |
| Duration: 00:02:00 | Frame Size: 1920 x 1080 |
Garment workers are working in a small sewing workshop in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on July 11, 2025. The United States is imposing a 30% tariff on Sri Lankan exports from August 1, 2025, targeting the country's vital apparel sector. President Trump is personally informing Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the decision. The tariff is threatening Sri Lanka's largest export industry, which is earning $747 million from US sales in just five months of 2025. With regional competitors facing lower rates—Vietnam at 20% and Bangladesh at 35%—Sri Lankan manufacturers are risking losing American buyers to cheaper alternatives. The move could devastate an industry employing hundreds of thousands of workers and providing crucial foreign exchange for Sri Lanka's recovering economy. Industry leaders are fearing factory closures and mass unemployment as the tariff makes Sri Lankan goods uncompetitive in their biggest export market. The timing is adding pressure to Sri Lanka's economic recovery efforts, as the apparel sector remains a cornerstone of the nation's export earnings and employment.