Summary of this article
The US has initiated investigations under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 into several trading partners, including India, China, Japan and the EU.
The investigations are over alleged "unfair foreign practices" affecting American manufacturing.
The US Trade Representative has sought consultations with the concerned governments, with public comments opening on March 17, 2026, and hearings scheduled to begin on May 5, 2026.
The United States has launched investigations into several of its trading partners, including India, China, Japan and the European Union, to examine and address “unfair foreign practices” that could be harming American manufacturing.
United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer announced the probe into the “acts, policies, and practices” of multiple economies under Section 301(b) of the Trade Act of 1974, focusing on structural excess capacity and overproduction in manufacturing sectors.
The economies under investigation include Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, the European Union, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the USTR said the investigations would determine whether such acts, policies, and practices are unreasonable or discriminatory and whether they burden or restrict US commerce.
“The United States will no longer sacrifice its industrial base to other countries that may be exporting their problems with excess capacity and production to us," Greer said.
He added that the investigations reflect President Donald Trump’s commitment to reshoring critical supply chains and creating well-paid jobs for American workers in the manufacturing sector.
Greer said the administration’s reindustrialisation push continues to face challenges due to structural excess capacity and overproduction in manufacturing across foreign economies.
According to him, many US trading partners are producing more goods than they can consume domestically.
"This overproduction displaces existing US domestic production or prevents investment and expansion in US manufacturing production that otherwise would have been brought online. In many sectors, the US has lost substantial domestic production capacity or has fallen worryingly behind foreign competitors.”
Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 is intended to address unfair foreign practices affecting US commerce and allows action against “unjustifiable, unreasonable, or discriminatory” policies by foreign governments. Under Section 302(b) of the Act, the USTR can also initiate investigations on its own.
An investigation under Section 301(b) assesses whether the acts, policies or practices of a foreign country are unreasonable or discriminatory and whether they burden or restrict US commerce.
Greer initiated the investigations after considering the advice of the inter-agency Section 301 Committee and consulting relevant advisory committees.
Following the launch of the probe, the United States Trade Representative is required to seek consultations with the economies under investigation.
Accordingly, the USTR has requested consultations with the governments of China, the European Union, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Mexico, Japan and India.
A public docket for comments on the investigations will open on March 17, 2026, while hearings related to the probe will begin on May 5, 2026.
(with PTI inputs)
