New Delhi, March 13 India is examining the US announcement to initiate investigations under Section 301 against 16 trading partners, and will respond accordingly, an official said on Friday.
The United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced on March 11 that it had initiated investigations against its 16 trading partners, including India, China, Japan, and the European Union (EU), to look into and address unfair foreign practices such as forced labor and overcapacity that are adversely affecting American manufacturing.
The investigation covers sectors including steel, aluminum, automobiles, batteries, electronics, chemicals, machinery, semiconductors, and solar modules.
The 16 trading partners are China, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Mexico, Japan, India, and the 27-nation EU bloc.
"We are studying what is in their note. We are looking at it from all perspectives. Both from the legal perspective as well as the economic angle that is being mentioned there. India is evaluating the documents," the official said.
The move comes at a time when the US Supreme Court has ruled against the Trump tariffs. After that, US President Donald Trump had stated that the US has other alternatives to impose such levies.
Through this, the US is looking at rebuilding tariff pressure on its trading partners.
Following the court's order, the US has imposed a 10% tariff on all countries for 150 days from February 24.
The investigation will examine whether policies such as industrial subsidies, state-supported manufacturing expansion, activities of state-owned enterprises, market-access barriers, currency practices, or suppressed domestic demand have contributed to global manufacturing overcapacity that burdens US commerce.
If such practices are confirmed, Washington may impose retaliatory trade measures, including additional tariffs, quantitative restrictions, or other trade barriers.
According to the defined process, public dockets for written submissions will open on March 17, allowing companies, trade groups, and governments to submit their comments on the investigation.
According to sources, the investigation focused more on China as they have the issue of forced labor and overcapacity in number of sectors, which can distort trade of other countries.