Section 301 investigation: Vietnam intellectual property (no duties yet)
After naming Vietnam a Priority Foreign Country in the April 30, 2026 Special 301 Report, USTR initiated a Section 301 investigation into Vietnam's protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights and related market-access barriers, published June 3, 2026. No tariff has been proposed or imposed. Vietnam is the largest China-alternative sourcing origin for many U.S. importers and already carries a 12.5% Section 301 forced-labor duty, so an adverse determination here would compound existing exposure.
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Timeline
- Under reviewFederal Register
Investigation initiated
USTR initiates a Section 301 investigation into Vietnam's intellectual-property acts, policies and practices following its Priority Foreign Country designation, and requests public comments. No tariff action is proposed at this stage.
Official sources
Official sources
Status verified 09/10/2026
Related measures
Section 301 tariffs on China (Lists 1–4A and 2024 strategic increases)
The original China tariffs: 25% on roughly $250B of imports (Lists 1–3) and 7.5% on List 4A, in force since 2018–2020, plus the 2024 four-year-review increases on strategic sectors — including 100% on EVs, 50% on solar cells and semiconductors, and 25% on lithium-ion batteries. These survived the IEEPA ruling untouched and remain the bedrock of U.S.–China tariff exposure. USTR initiated a second statutory four-year review in May 2026; continuation-request windows closed in July and August 2026 and the next phase has no published date. Since July 24, 2026 a separate 12.5% Section 301 forced-labor duty stacks on top.
Current rate: 25% (Lists 1–3); 7.5% (List 4A); strategic-sector increases incl. 100% EVs, 50% solar cells and semiconductors, 25% lithium-ion batteries
Section 301 product exclusions (extended through November 10, 2026)
Exclusions that exempt specific products — mostly machinery and manufacturing inputs — from Section 301 China tariffs. As part of the November 2025 trade truce they were extended through November 10, 2026. Importers relying on an exclusion face a hard repricing if it lapses with the truce.
Current rate: 0% additional duty for excluded products (otherwise 25%)
Pause expires:Section 301 forced-labor tariffs on 60 economies (10% / 12.5%)
On July 24, 2026 — the day the Section 122 surcharge lapsed — USTR imposed additional duties of 10% or 12.5% ad valorem on products of 60 economies under Section 301, concluding investigations into each economy's failure to impose or enforce a ban on imports made with forced labor. The rate is set per economy: for example Canada, Mexico, India, the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Indonesia pay 10%; China, Vietnam, Brazil and Thailand pay 12.5%; the EU and Taiwan pay 10% and Japan, Korea and Switzerland 12.5%, each assessed net of the MFN rate. Articles subject to Section 232 duties are exempt, as are annex-listed products for several economies, and goods loaded before July 24 that entered before July 28, 2026.
Current rate: 10% or 12.5% additional ad valorem by economy (EU and Taiwan 10%, Japan, Korea and Switzerland 12.5%, each net of the MFN rate); goods subject to Section 232 duties and annex-listed products are exempt