Forced-labor Section 301 — Hong Kong — 12.5% additional duty

This is a U.S. trade remedy measure identified as a Section 301 action. Section 301 is a legal authority used to impose additional duties or other trade measures in response to specified acts, policies, or practices involving a foreign country. In this description, the measure is associated with forced-labor concerns and Hong Kong. The official measure details—not the title alone—determine which goods are covered and how the additional duty applies.

It typically affects importers bringing covered merchandise into the United States when the goods meet the stated product and country-of-origin requirements. The additional duty is separate from the ordinary customs duty and any other applicable fees or trade remedies. An importer should review the product’s HTSUS classification, country of origin, and the measure’s legal scope before entry, because goods shipped from Hong Kong are not necessarily Hong Kong-origin goods and origin can require a substantial-transformation analysis.

What to check

• Confirm the measure’s official product scope, including any listed HTSUS subheadings, exclusions, and qualifying conditions.
• Determine the goods’ country of origin under U.S. customs rules; do not rely only on the shipping location, seller location, or port of export.
• Verify the complete HTSUS classification and check whether a separate Section 301 reporting or entry requirement applies.
• Review the customs value, entry documentation, supply-chain records, and forced-labor compliance information supporting the declaration.
• Ask a customs broker or trade attorney to review difficult classification, origin, scope, or forced-labor questions before filing the entry.