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Last Updated:July 11, 2026, 15:26 IST
India flagged inconsistencies in the US Section 301 investigation over forced labour concerns, which proposed a 12.5% tariff on 54 countries, including India and China.
India and the US have been negotiating a bilateral trade agreement for more than a year. (Representational Image)
India has urged the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to reconsider its 12.5% tariff, asserting that trade issues should be resolved through bilateral negotiations rather than unilateral measures amid disagreements over a US investigation into forced labour concerns.
The USTR launched two separate Section 301 investigations in March encompassing 60 countries, including India, over allegations related to forced labour and excess industrial capacity. On June 3, the USTR issued its findings in the forced labour investigation and proposed additional tariffs on imports from these economies.
The proposal included a 10% tariff on imports from Canada, Ecuador, the European Union, Indonesia, Mexico and Pakistan, and a 12.5% tariff on imports from 54 countries, including India and China. The measure has not been finalised so far.
India’s Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce, Brij Mohan Mishra, flagged inconsistencies in the investigation during a public hearing, saying India takes the elimination of forced labour similarly as a constitutional obligation and international law, according to news agency PTI.
He argued that the USTR had not satisfied the relevant legal standards under Section 301(d) of the Trade Act. A mere absence of a forced labour import prohibition without evidentiary basis of other statutory requirements cannot be construed as unreasonable under Section 301, he added.
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Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int...Read More
News india 'No Unilateral Measures': India Urges US To Reconsider 12.5% Tariff Amid Trade Deal Push
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