US Expands Trade Enforcement, Launches Investigation into Forced Labour Imports from 60 Countries Including India

Trade Investigation Initiated by US Trade Representative

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has announced investigations into 60 economies, including India, to assess the actions taken by governments to ban imports of goods produced with forced labor.

Section 301(b) of the Trade Act of 1974 will be used to conduct the investigation, the same law employed to examine whether foreign government policies or practices burden or restrict US commerce. The probe will evaluate whether governments have imposed and effectively enforced measures preventing goods produced with forced labor from entering their markets.

Countries Under Investigation

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The list of economies under investigation spans various regions, including:

• Asia: Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand
• Europe: European Union, Norway, Switzerland
• Americas: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
• Middle East: Bahrain, Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates
• Other: Algeria, Angola, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Ecuador, Egypt, Ireland, Iraq, Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, Türkiye

The USTR will examine whether governments have adopted and enforced measures to prevent goods produced with forced labor from entering their domestic markets. This investigation comes a day after another Section 301 investigation was announced, targeting 16 economies, including India, to determine whether their manufacturing practices burden or restrict US commerce.