Metro Manila, Philippines – The Office of the United States Trade Representative has launched an investigation on the Philippines and 59 other economies over whether their governments have failed to effectively prevent the importation of goods produced with forced labor.
The probe will examine whether policies and enforcement gaps in these countries allow forced-labor goods to enter their markets and disadvantage US businesses and workers.
The US will seek consultations with the governments under review and hold public hearings on April 28.
“Despite the international consensus against forced labor, governments have failed to impose and effectively enforce measures banning goods produced with forced labor from entering their markets,” said US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
“For too long, American workers and firms have been forced to compete against foreign producers who may have an artificial cost advantage gained from the scourge of forced labor,” he added.
Greer said, “These investigations will determine whether foreign governments have taken sufficient steps to prohibit the importation of goods produced with forced labor and how the failure to eradicate these abhorrent practices impacts US workers and businesses.”
Apart from the Philippines, Asian economies under investigation are China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, and Southeast Asian neighbors such as Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The investigation marks one of the largest simultaneous probes into forced labor-related trade practices by the US, covering economies across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas.
Malacañang has yet to comment on the probe.
