The Historical Development of Section 301 of the US Trade Act

Section 301 of the United States Trade Act of 1974 (hereinafter referred to as Section 301) is a representative foreign trade provision enacted by the United States during the Cold War.Since the aggressive unilateralism of Section 301 is incompatible with the international multilateral trading system that the United States has also actively established,discussions on the nature of Section 301 have been ongoing.After the establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO),the United States reduced its use of Section 301.However,since Trump took office in 2016,the Trump administration has frequently used the Section 301 to protect domestic American companies and sanction other countries.In 2024,Trump won the US election for the second time,indicating that the Section 301 is likely to enter the public eye again.This article aims to explore the historical development process of the Section 301,and strengthen the understanding of this clause.