Trump restarts tariff war: Launches Section 301 investigations against 16 economies in one go

PANews reported on March 12 that the Trump administration has launched the first of several large-scale trade investigations, paving the way for new tariffs and a key move to replace tariffs overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced Wednesday that his office will launch investigations into 16 major economies under Section 301 of the Trade Act, focusing on so-called “overcapacity.” These investigations, which typically take months to complete, are a necessary prerequisite for President Trump to unilaterally impose tariffs on imports from specific countries deemed to have engaged in unfair trade practices. The economies to be investigated include some of the U.S.’s largest trading partners, such as the European Union, Mexico, India, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, Norway, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.

This move marks the formal commencement of the U.S. government's efforts to rebuild Trump's tariff barriers following the Supreme Court's landmark ruling last month that rejected Trump's global tariffs.