USTR initiates Section 301 investigations for failure to prohibit import of goods produced with forced labor
Investigations into the acts, policies, and practices of 60 economies.
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on March 12, 2026, issued a release announcing the initiation of Section 301 investigations into the acts, policies, and practices of 60 economies related to the failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor.
Comments are due by April 15, 2026, and public hearings are scheduled to begin on April 28, 2026. Read the formal USTR notice.
The USTR aims to determine whether the failure to prohibit forced labor imports is unreasonable or discriminatory and burdens U.S. commerce. Economies subject to the investigations are:
Algeria | Guyana | Pakistan |
Angola | Honduras | Peru |
Argentina | Hong Kong | Philippines |
Australia | India | Qatar |
Bahamas | Indonesia | Russia |
Bahrain | Iraq | Saudi Arabia |
Bangladesh | Israel | Singapore |
Brazil | Japan | South Africa |
Cambodia | Jordan | South Korea |
Canada | Kazakhstan | Sri Lanka |
Chile | Kuwait | Switzerland |
China | Libya | Taiwan |
Colombia | Malaysia | Thailand |
Costa Rica | Mexico | Trinidad and Tobago |
Dominican Republic | Morocco | Türkiye |
Ecuador | New Zealand | United Arab Emirates |
Egypt | Nicaragua | United Kingdom |
El Salvador | Nigeria | Uruguay |
European Union | Norway | Venezuela |
Guatemala | Oman | Vietnam |
Section 301
Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 is intended to address unfair foreign practices that affect U.S. commerce. It may be invoked to respond to unjustifiable, unreasonable, or discriminatory actions by foreign governments that burden or restrict U.S. trade. A Section 301(b) investigation evaluates whether a foreign country’s acts, policies, or practices are unreasonable or discriminatory and whether they burden or restrict U.S. commerce.