India Among 16 Economies Facing US Unfair-Trade Probe Amid Renewed Tariff Push

The action, formally known as a Section 301 investigation under the Trade Act of 1974, can give the US government the power to impose new tariffs, restrict imports and suspend trade agreement concessions against economies found to engage in unfair trade practices. The probe will focus on structural excess industrial capacity — where state-supported manufacturing output exceeds domestic demand and floods global markets, displacing American production.

“The investigations will determine whether those acts, policies, and practices are unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict US commerce,” the USTR said in a statement. The 16 economies named are China, the European Union, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Mexico, Japan and India. Canada, the second-largest US trading partner, was notably absent from the list.

Trade representative Jamieson Greer framed the investigation as central to restoring America’s industrial base. “The United States will no longer sacrifice its industrial base to other countries that may be exporting their problems with excess capacity and production to us.