US puts East Asian countries on notice in sweeping 60-economy forced labor probe

On March 12, 2026, the US Trade Representative launched investigations covering 60 economies under Section 301(b) of the Trade Act of 1974 to determine whether each economy's acts, policies, and practices — related to a failure to impose and effectively enforce a ban on the importation of goods produced with forced labor — are unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict US commerce.

Ambassador Greer speaks out

"Despite the international consensus against forced labor, governments have failed to impose and effectively enforce measures banning goods produced with forced labor from entering their markets. For too long, American workers and firms have been forced to compete against foreign producers who may have an artificial cost advantage gained from the scourge of forced labor," said Ambassador Greer. "These investigations will determine whether foreign governments have taken sufficient steps to prohibit the importation of goods produced with forced labor and how the failure to eradicate these abhorrent practices impacts US workers and businesses."

The legal basis

Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 is designed to address unfair foreign practices affecting US commerce, and may be used to respond to unjustifiable, unreasonable, or discriminatory foreign government practices that burden or restrict it. Under Section 302(b) of the Trade Act, the US Trade Representative may self-initiate an investigation under Section 301. A Section 301(b) investigation examines whether the acts, policies, or practices of a foreign country are unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict US commerce.

Next steps and timeline

After considering the advice of the inter-agency Section 301 Committee and consulting with appropriate advisory committees, the US Trade Representative initiated these investigations and must now seek consultations with the economies under scrutiny. USTR has already requested consultations with the governments of these economies in connection with the investigations.

USTR will hold hearings on April 28, 2026. Interested persons wishing to be assured of consideration should submit written comments, requests to appear at the hearing, and a summary of their testimony by April 15, 2026. A pre-publication version of the Federal Register Notice and dockets for comments and requests to appear at the public hearing are available.

Source: USTR, March 2026

Article edited by Jerry Chen