Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Mar 13: The United States has initiated investigations into about 60 economies—including the European Union, India, Japan, and China—to determine whether their failure to ban imports produced with forced labour unfairly disadvantages American workers and businesses.
The probe was launched on Thursday by the Office of the United States Trade Representative under Section 301(b) of the Trade Act of 1974. It focuses on some of Washington’s largest trading partners and examines whether their policies and practices related to forced-labour imports are “unreasonable or discriminatory” and whether they burden US commerce.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the investigations aim to address what Washington sees as unfair competition created by forced labour practices.
“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,” Greer said. He added that American workers and companies have long been forced to compete with foreign producers who may gain an artificial cost advantage through exploitative labour practices.
The investigations will evaluate whether governments have taken adequate measures to prevent imports of goods produced through forced labour and how gaps in enforcement affect US businesses and workers.
Besides India, China, Japan, and the European Union, the list of economies under review includes the United Kingdom, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Pakistan, Brazil, and Mexico, among many others.
Under US law, Section 301 allows the government to respond to foreign practices that are deemed unjustifiable, unreasonable, or discriminatory and that restrict or burden American commerce. The USTR can start such investigations independently and decide whether the actions of other governments meet the legal threshold for possible trade measures.
As part of the process, Washington has requested consultations with the governments of the economies under scrutiny.
According to USTR documents, forced labour remains prevalent in global supply chains despite international agreements banning the practice. The agency warned that such exploitation can distort global markets by allowing companies to produce goods at artificially low labour costs.
Estimates from the International Labour Organization indicate the scale of the issue remains significant. The organisation reported that about 28 million people worldwide were trapped in forced labour as of 2021, generating approximately $63.9 billion in annual profits within the global private economy.