Overview
- The excess‑capacity investigation names China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea and Mexico among 16 economies, with Canada notably excluded.
- USTR Jamieson Greer said the probe could lead to tariff remedies as soon as this summer if unfair practices are found.
- Public comments run through April 15 with a hearing expected around May 5, a compressed timetable intended to finish before the July 24 lapse of the temporary duty.
- Greer also plans a separate Section 301 investigation into imports made with forced labor covering more than 60 countries, potentially broadening existing import restrictions.
- The pivot follows the Supreme Court’s ruling against emergency‑based tariffs and leverages a statute previously used to justify China duties, as U.S. officials meet Chinese counterparts in Paris this week ahead of a possible Trump–Xi meeting.