The Office of the United States Trade Representative initiated an investigation into unfair trade practices involving 60 countries, including India, alleging that these nations have failed to adequately prevent the import of goods produced through forced labour. The probe has been launched under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. This law allows the US government to examine foreign trade practices that are considered unreasonable or discriminatory and that negatively affect American commerce. Such investigations can potentially result in retaliatory actions, including tariffs or other trade restrictions.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer stated that many governments have not taken sufficient steps to ban goods made using forced labour from entering their markets. He said that American workers and companies have long been forced to compete with foreign producers that may gain unfair cost advantages through such practices. According to him, the investigation will assess whether foreign governments have implemented effective measures to prohibit the import of goods produced with forced labour and how the continued presence of such practices affects US businesses and workers.

Apart from India, several other countries and regions are part of the investigation. These include Australia, Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Israel, China, Russia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The United States has previously restricted imports from China’s Xinjiang region under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, citing allegations that authorities there operate labour camps involving ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.

The latest probe comes shortly after the US launched another investigation into 16 trading partners, accusing them of maintaining excessive manufacturing capacity that harms American reindustrialisation efforts. These actions are part of broader trade measures taken after the US Supreme Court struck down the legal basis for certain country specific tariffs. The USTR said that public comments on the investigation can be submitted until April 15, while hearings are scheduled for April 28.