The US State Department on Tuesday placed China on its global list of the worst offenders in human trafficking and forced labor, a step that could aggravate tensions with Beijing that had eased under President Donald Trump. Trump, however, has grown increasingly frustrated over China’s inaction on North Korea and bilateral trade issues and is considering possible trade actions against Beijing, three senior administration officials told Reuters. The report said China convicted fewer sex and labor traffickers in the 12 months ended on March 31 than in the previous year, forcibly repatriated North Koreans without screening them for indicators of trafficking and handled most forced labor cases as administrative issues rather than criminal prosecutions. China was downgraded to Tier 3 status, which includes those countries not complying with minimum US standards, from the Tier 2 Watch List of nations that deserve special scrutiny. Tier 1 designates nations that meet minimum US standards.