The U.S. Trade Representative justified the imposition of tariffs on Chinese products based on the findings from the Section 301 Investigation initiated in 2017. The investigation aimed to determine whether China's acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation were unreasonable or discriminatory and burdened or restricted U.S. commerce.

The investigation found that China used foreign ownership restrictions, joint venture requirements, and various administrative review and licensing processes to require or pressure technology transfer from U.S. companies. This deprived U.S. companies of the ability to set market-based terms in licensing and other technology-related negotiations. Additionally, China directed and unfairly facilitated the systematic investment in, and acquisition of, U.S. companies and assets to generate large-scale technology transfer. China also conducted and supported cyber intrusions into U.S. commercial computer networks to gain unauthorized access to commercially-valuable business information.

Based on these findings, the U.S. Trade Representative determined that China's acts, policies, and practices were unreasonable or discriminatory and burdened or restricted U.S. commerce. This provided the justification for the imposition of tariffs on Chinese products.