Trump's tariff war strikes back: Section 301 investigation targets 16 countries including Taiwan, the EU, Japan, and South Korea, with semiconductors and solar energy as key focus areas

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that IEEPA taxation is unconstitutional, Trump shifted to using Section 301 of the Trade Act to launch investigations against 16 countries at once, covering 13 industries including semiconductors, solar energy, and automobiles.
(Background: Nintendo sues the U.S. government! The world’s strongest legal team demands Trump to refund tariffs plus interest)
(Additional context: $175 billion in tariff refunds initiated! U.S. Court of Appeals rejects DOJ’s 90-day extension request)

The Trump administration has reignited a new trade war! On the 12th, it announced the launch of trade investigations under Section 301 of the Trade Act against 16 major trading partners. Besides Taiwan, the countries named include the EU, Mexico, India, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, Norway, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. Canada was not included in the initial list.

USTR (United States Trade Representative) Jamieson Greer directly stated:

“Major trading partners have long created excess capacity and deliberately decoupled from domestic and global demand. This structural imbalance has directly impacted U.S. manufacturing employment.”

This investigation covers 13 industries, including aluminum, automobiles, batteries, electronics, machinery, paper, plastics, robotics, satellites, semiconductors, ships, solar components, and steel. The investigation documents specifically highlight issues with the EU in chemicals, machinery, and vehicles, as well as unfair trade practices by Asian countries in semiconductors and electronics.

Post-IEEPA Era: Rebranding and New Battles

This move is widely interpreted as a strategic shift after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose global taxes was unconstitutional. The White House has turned to Section 301 to rebuild tariff barriers.

Unlike the emergency authorization under IEEPA, investigations under Section 301 require formal legal procedures: the White House has announced a public hearing on May 6. Greer also revealed that as early as this Thursday, another batch of investigations related to forced labor will be launched, indicating ongoing waves of probes.

Adding to the uncertainty, Greer explicitly stated, “More investigations are expected to be launched sequentially,” which is widely seen as part of the long-term strategy by the Trump administration to systematically rebuild trade protection barriers amid midterm election pressures.