US opens unfair trade practices probe

The U.S. Trade Representative’s office said late on Thursday it had begun Section 301 unfair trade practices probes of 60 economies in relation to what it called failures to take action ⁠on forced labor. President Donald Trump’s administration has sought to rebuild tariff pressure on countries around the world after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down his global tariffs as illegal on February 20. “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 U.S. workers and businesses,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement. The list of 60 countries includes some major U.S. trade partners and allies such as Australia, Canada, the EU, Britain, Israel, India, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. China and Russia are also on the list. Trump imposed a 10% tariff for 150 days under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974