The U.S. administration has launched a broad trade investigation aimed at documenting economic harm suffered by the United States in order to impose new tariffs after those were struck down by the Supreme Court.
The inquiry will focus, in a first phase, on “the economies for which the evidence seems to point to structural overcapacity,” said on Wednesday the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), Jamieson Greer, during a telephone press briefing, citing around fifteen countries or blocs targeted, notably China, the European Union (EU), Japan, India and Mexico.
A number of the targeted partners have signed trade agreements with the United States, often limiting the maximum level of tariffs imposed on their products, Greer recalled, stressing that the investigations will proceed independently of these agreements.
Other investigations concern countries suspected of using forced labor in the manufacture of goods shipped to the United States. They could, once completed, result in a ban on importing the affected products.
“This is not about targeting local conditions in a particular country,” Greer insisted, noting that “the inquiry will involve around sixty countries.”
This investigation, provided for under a 1974 trade law, is expected to last several months and will begin with the opening of a call for comments from stakeholders, before public hearings are held.
The US administration hopes to complete them quickly, so as to take measures, including tariff measures, that would follow the temporary tariffs reintroduced in mid-February.
The American president Donald Trump had indeed announced, in the wake of the Supreme Court decision, new 10% tariffs to replace those that had been annulled.
However, he had relied on a piece of legislation that only allowed temporary implementation, for a maximum of 150 days, until July 24, after which Congress would have to decide to make them permanent.
