The office of US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer initiated the probe under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act into forced-labor practices in 60 economies. Taiwan, Canada, China, the EU, India, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and the UK are among the targets of the inquiry. Trump’s replacement levies, which fall under Section 122 of the Trade Act, expire in July. Section 301 tariffs are more durable and legally tested than other authorities Trump has leaned toward, but are more time-consuming. China yesterday rebuked a US trade investigation into alleged overcapacity and said it reserved the right to take countermeasures, clouding the outlook for a new round of trade talks that is set to begin this weekend.
