The following was taken in part from the NCBFAA:

On Thursday, March 12th, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) initiated investigations into 60 countries under Section 301(b) of the 1974 Trade Act. “The investigations will determine whether acts, policies, and practices of each of these economies related to the failure to impose and effectively enforce a ban on the importation of goods produced with forced labor are unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict US commerce,” the USTR said.

The USTR has requested consultations with the governments of these 60 countries regarding the investigations and will hold related hearings in Washington, D.C., on April 28th. Interested persons should submit written comments and requests to appear at the hearing, along with a summary of the testimony, by April 15th. 

A pre-publication version of the Federal Register notice is available here, which includes the list of the 60 countries. A docket for comments regarding the investigation will be available here, while a docket for requests to appear at the public hearing to be held in connection with this investigation will be available here.

RIM logistics, ltd. will continue to closely monitor this evolving situation and provide updates as necessary. Please reach out to your RIM representative if you have any further questions.