United States Reinstates 301 Tariffs, Imposes Tariffs on Multiple Countries, Implementation Expected as Early as May

The United States is accelerating the Section 301 investigation and explicitly using it as the main legal tool for the previous IEEPA tariffs. The investigation was launched in March 2026 and is currently in the hearing phase, expected to be completed before the expiration of the current 10% Section 122 temporary tariff on July 24, 2026, and new tariff measures will be introduced to seamlessly follow.

But the US has accelerated the investigation process, which could be finalized as early as May-July 2026. The US has restarted the Section 301 investigation with the goal of "restoring tariff levels to previous levels."

Two major Section 301 investigations

🚨 Structural overcapacity in manufacturingLaunched on March 11, 2026, targeting 16 economies/regions—including China, the European Union, South Korea, Japan, India, Mexico, Vietnam, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Singapore, Switzerland, and Norway—the investigation focuses on whether these economies' policies have led to manufacturing capacity significantly exceeding domestic and global demand, thereby harming U.S. manufacturing. The sectors under investigation include electronics, automobiles, machinery, steel, chemicals, and others.

🚨 Inadequate enforcement of forced labor import banLaunching on March 12, 2026, targeting 60 major trading partners, covering over 99% of the US 2024 import total, which is to say, almost all trading partners. Including Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Mainland China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, European Union, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam. Investigate whether these economies have failed to effectively prohibit or enforce bans on the import of goods made with forced labor, leading to low-cost goods flooding the US market.

The Section 301 investigation has accelerated, with the public written comment period having closed on April 15; the process is now in the hearing stage. The overcapacity investigation is scheduled to begin around May 5, and the forced labor investigation around April 28.

The USTR aims to complete the investigation and propose specific measures for additional tariffs before July, which is before the temporary tariffs under Section 122 expire.

This is the Trump administration's shift to Section 301 as a "Plan B" with greater legal durability after the Supreme Court ruled in February that IEEPA emergency tariffs were unconstitutional.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other officials stated,The goal of the U.S. restarting the Section 301 investigation is to restore tariff levels to their previous levels.Section 301 tariffs have no upper limit, can be maintained for a long time, and are not subject to legal challenges.

The U.S. has currently imposed a temporary 10% tariff under Section 122 on countries worldwide, which can only remain in effect for 150 days and will expire on July 24. The Section 301 investigation is precisely intended to seamlessly bridge the gap and avoid a tariff vacuum.

During Trump's first term and under Biden's administration, Section 301 tariffs have already been imposed on a wide range of Chinese products, with tariff rates ranging from 7.5% to 100%. Most products fall within the 7.5%–25% range, while a very small number of products are subject to a 100% tariff. These tariffs remain in effect.

Currently, the U.S. has imposed additional tariffs on China, including Section 232 tariffs of 25%–50% and Section 122 tariffs of 10%.