New US trade probe targets EU, Canada, UK over forced labour

The US has announced a new trade investigation into 60 countries, including China, the European Union, Canada and the UK, in a move that is widely expected to lead to further tariffs.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said officials would examine whether the countries have hurt US businesses by failing to block sales of goods made with "forced labour".

It marks the second Section 301 probe announced this week, as the Trump administration works to put in place new levies to replace the tariffs the Supreme Court struck down last month.

The US has also said it is preparing to probe issues such as taxes targeting tech firms.

Other countries being targeted include Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Mexico, India, Japan and New Zealand.

While several countries have adopted measures intended to block sales of goods made with forced labour, to date "none" have effectively enforced those rules, the US said in its announcement. It said those gaps could put US businesses at a disadvantage.

"For too long, American workers and firms have been forced to compete against foreign producers who may have an artificial cost advantage gained from the scourge of forced labour," Greer said.

The move comes weeks after the Supreme Court ruled that the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on goods from a slew of countries around the world were unlawful.

The White House responded to the decision by saying it would reinstate the levies using other laws. It announced a temporary global tariff of 10%, which Trump and other officials have said will be raised to 15%.

But that measure is due to expire in July, unless extended by Congress. Officials have said they expect to be ready to impose tariffs using Section 301 at that time.

The law comes with requirements for public notice and comment, which is expected to lead to a more orderly process than the rapidly changing nature of Trump's tariff announcements last spring.

Public hearings on the forced labour issue have been scheduled for April.

In his first term, Trump deployed the 301 law to raise tariffs on goods from China, citing intellectual property violations and other issues.

The US has also previously raised concerns about forced labour being used in China.

In 2022 it enacted a law banning goods from the country's Xinjiang region, citing concerns that members of the mostly Muslim Uyghur minority were being held and forced to produce cotton and other goods.

At the time, China repeatedly rejected accusations that it was keeping Uyghurs in internment camps.