Trump Section 301 trade probes put China in U.S. crosshairs ahead of high-stakes Beijing summit

In this article CAAS BWMX USB Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping arrive for talks at the Gimhae Air Base, located next to the Gimhae International Airport in Busan on October 30, 2025. Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will seek a truce in their bruising trade war on October 30, with the US president predicting a "great meeting" but Beijing being more circumspect. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images) Andrew Caballero-reynolds | Afp | Getty Images With a high-stakes summit in Beijing less than three weeks away, the U.S. has launched sweeping trade investigations that put China squarely in its crosshairs, adding a new layer of friction to an already complicated relationship. The probes, which will be conducted under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, aim to identify unfair trade practices, particularly structural excess capacity and production in manufacturing sectors. The 301 investigation, while casting a wide net over a dozen trading partners, takes a clear aim at China, given its well-documented issues such as overcapacity and forced labor, said Dan Wang, China director at the political consultancy Eurasia Group. As Trump's negotiating position has been weakened by the military aggression in Iran, "U.S. needs to establish credible threat on tariffs as it remains Trump's top pressure tool," Wang said, although Beijing was likely unsurprised by the escalation. "Maximizing leverage before major bilateral meetings seems to be a standard move now," she said. The probes followed the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last month to strike down Trump's "reciprocal" tariffs, which curtailed his ability to deploy tariffs at will , giving China a boost in leverage ahead of the summit. The Trump administration is "pivoting to its other tools to continue its tariff agenda ... is clearly a card that Trump wishes to have in his ...