U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Tuesday that results of Section 301 trade investigations into more than 70 countries, including South Korea, China and Japan, will be released over the next few weeks.
Greer made the remarks in a CNBC interview. He said the investigations cover unfair trading practices related to structural excess capacity and forced labor. The probes could result in new tariffs or other trade measures. In a June article for the IMF's Finance and Development Magazine, Greer cited South Korea's rise as a “steelmaking powerhouse” despite limited energy resources and no coal or iron ore. He defended Trump's tariff policy as a tool to encourage domestic production and address global trade imbalances. The investigations aim to replace country-specific reciprocal tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court in February. Section 301 allows country-by-country probes of unfair foreign trade practices.