The United States on March 12 launched a new tranche of investigations into 60 economies, including Bangladesh, China, India and the European Union, over alleged failures to act against forced labour.

The probes came a day after US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer initiated a separate trade investigation into the manufacturing sectors of 16 economies, including Bangladesh, citing concerns over excess industrial capacity and production that could undermine US reindustrialisation efforts.

Initiated by the US Trade Representative (USTR), the March 12 investigations under Section 301(b) of the Trade Act of 1974 will examine policies and practices ‘related to the failure to impose and effectively enforce a ban on the importation of goods produced with forced labour,’ and determine whether such practices burden or restrict US commerce.

The 60 economies subject to the investigations include some of the United States’ largest trading partners.

‘Despite the international consensus against forced labour, governments have failed to impose and effectively enforce measures banning goods produced with forced labour from entering their markets,’ Ambassador Greer said in a statement issued on Thursday.

He said that for too long American workers and firms had been forced to compete against foreign producers who might have gained an artificial cost advantage through the use of forced labour.

‘These investigations will determine whether foreign governments have taken sufficient steps to prohibit the importation of goods produced with forced labour and how the failure to eradicate these abhorrent practices impacts US workers and businesses,’ he said.

The USTR has requested consultations with the governments of the economies concerned as part of the investigations.

Public hearings related to the probes will be held on April 28.

The USTR has asked interested parties to submit written comments and a summary of their testimony by April 15, 2026 before appearing at the hearing.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) president Mahmud Hasan Khan said that the organisation was confident there was no forced labour in the country’s readymade garment industry.

He, however, said that Bangladesh’s inclusion in the investigation over forced labour was uncomfortable.

BGMEA president said that whenever labour or labour law issues were discussed, they were often assumed to concern only the garment sector, although such matters applied to all industrial sectors, not just the garment industry.

He said that Bangladesh should be well prepared and provide the relevant information to the concerned US authorities.

The economies subject to the March 12 investigations include Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Australia, the Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, the European Union, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong, China, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela and Vietnam.

According to a Federal Register notice, the March 11 investigation concerning Bangladesh alleges that the government provides cash incentives for 43 export-oriented sectors, including domestic textile and leather products, which have contributed to a multi-billion-dollar trade gap with the United States in Bangladesh’s favour.

‘Evidence of structural excess capacity and production exists for Bangladesh, which has a bilateral goods trade surplus of $6.15 billion with the United States. This bilateral surplus is led by exports in the textiles sector,’ the notice said.

It also noted that Bangladesh’s cement industry is facing significant excess capacity amid the sector’s worst downturn in years.

National cement consumption fell to 38 million tonnes in 2024, less than 40 per cent of total capacity, and declined further in 2025, according to the notice.