The Office of the United States Trade Representative recently announced the launch of a Section 301 investigation against 60 economies including China, on the grounds of “failing to prohibit the import of goods produced with forced labor.” A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce said on the 16th that a new round of economic and trade consultations between China and the U.S. is currently taking place in Paris, France, and that China has lodged representations with the U.S. side.
According to China News Service, the spokesperson pointed out that this is another consecutive Section 301 investigation by the U.S. side, following the “overcapacity” Section 301 investigation launched on March 11. The U.S. has previously fabricated facts and imposed a series of trade restrictions on China under the pretext of “forced labor,” to which China has repeatedly expressed its stern stance. China has always opposed forced labor and is one of the founding members of the International Labour Organization. China has ratified 28 international labor conventions, established a comprehensive labor legislation and regulatory system, and firmly prevents and cracks down on forced labor practices.
The spokesperson stated that the United States has yet to ratify the Forced Labour Convention of 1930 and refuses to be bound by international rules, yet it has continued to manipulate the “forced labor” issue for a long time. This latest Section 301 investigation targeting China and related economies is an attempt to build trade barriers, which is highly unilateral, arbitrary, and discriminatory— a typical act of protectionism. The WTO panel has already ruled that the U.S. 301 tariffs against China violate WTO rules; the U.S. is once again abusing the Section 301 investigation procedure, placing its domestic law above international rules. This is compounding its previous mistakes, seriously undermining the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains, and gravely disrupting the international economic and trade order.
The spokesperson said that China urges the U.S. side to immediately correct its erroneous practices and work together with China in good faith, upholding the principle of mutual respect and equal consultation, and to seek solutions through dialogue and consultation. China