USTR Proposes Section 301 Tariffs on 60 Economies Over Forced Labor Enforcement, Raising Questions About Motives
By
Gregory Shaffer, Jeremiah May
Summary
The USTR released a report concluding that 60 economies (including the EU, Hong Kong, and Taiwan) are distorting trade by failing to enforce import bans on forced labor goods. Based on this, the report proposes new Section 301 tariffs on approximately 99.4% of all U.S. imports. The analysis suggests these tariffs are primarily a political tool to pressure countries into trade deals rather than a genuine effort to combat forced labor, and that they may replace previously invalidated tariffs.
Source
bskyUSTR Proposes Section 301 Tariffs on 60 Economies Over Forced Labor Enforcement, Raising Questions About Motivesjustsecurity.orgKey quotes
· 3 pulledThe USTR concluded that all 60 economies it had investigated under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 – including the European Union, Hong Kong and Taiwan – were distorting trade by failing to impose and effectively enforce import bans on goods made with forced labor.
These tariffs would in part replace those that the U.S. Supreme Court found illegally imposed under the International...
The USTR's proposed Section 301 tariffs are intended more to pressure countries to sign and implement deals than to protect labor.
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