Two days of hearings with supply chain stakeholders and human rights advocates took place in Washington this week as the Office of the United States Trade Representative’s accelerated Section 301 investigation into alleged unfair trade practices by dozens of U.S. trading partners got underway. The USTR is probing the purported failures of 60 countries to enforce bans on imported goods produced with forced labor . Another Section 301 investigation related to industrial excess capacity , also launched in March, will see similar public hearings next week. The Trump administration, which saw its preeminent tariff strategy dismantled in February, swiftly pivoted to launching the investigations—using the well-established statute, a part of the Trade Act of 1974—with the aim of dinging foreign trading partners with harsh new duties. The forced-labor investigations span major textile and apparel sourcing hubs across the globe.…