00:00The U.S. has launched a new round of trade probes over what it calls
00:03failure to comply with forced labor standards, and Taiwan is on the list.
00:08Under a law known as Section 301, the U.S. is targeting 60 economies,
00:13including some of its major trade partners and allies,
00:16which means they could face potential tariffs or trade restrictions.
00:20U.S. Trade Representative Jameson Greer says the investigations will look into
00:24whether the listed countries have done enough to ban the importation of goods
00:28produced with forced labor, and the impact on U.S. businesses and workers.
00:33This comes after the U.S. on Wednesday announced trade probes into 16 economies
00:37over what it called unfair trade practices.
00:40Taiwan was also on that list due to its large trade surplus with the U.S.,
00:44especially in semiconductors and tech products.
00:47This is all part of the Trump administration's push to restore tariffs
00:51after the Supreme Court struck them down in February.
00:54After the court ruling, the U.S. imposed a temporary 10% global tariff,
00:59which expires within 150 days.
01:02The investigations are meant to replace those temporary tariffs,
01:05expiring soon to keep up the tariff pressure on countries.
01:09This is not the first time Taiwan has faced investigations into forced labor.
01:14In September last year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection investigated giant manufacturing,
01:20one of Taiwan's largest bicycle manufacturers.
01:22In response, Taiwan's labor ministry released guidelines in February
01:26to help businesses prevent forced labor.
01:30Responding to the new probe, Taiwan's cabinet stressed the country's commitment
01:33to international labor standards.
01:35The cabinet says its trade agreement with the U.S. already includes pledges to prevent forced labor,
01:41and it doesn't think the U.S. investigation will change the outcomes of the original trade deal.
01:45Still, the investigation represents more pressure from the U.S. to comply with trade agreements
01:51and additional tariff pressure.
01:54Lupe Lee and Lily Lamatina in Taipei for Taiwan Plus.
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