Timely news and analysis of the latest developments in international trade law
According to President Donald Trump, “We are not in a trade war with China, that war was lost many years ago by the foolish, or incompetent, people who represented the U.S.”
Recent U.S.-China trade activity strongly suggests otherwise: The analysts at TrumpandTrade.com have been working hard to stay abreast of the daily trade salvos between…
In March 2018, President Trump announced that under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, the United States would increase tariffs on imports of certain steel products by 25 percent and imports on certain aluminum products by 10 percent on countries worldwide, including imports from the members of the European Union (EU) and Turkey. Although the EU was initially exempted from the imposition of tariffs, these tariffs came into place pursuant to two Presidential Proclamations issued on May 31, 2018. In response, the EU and Turkey announced their intent to impose retaliatory tariff measures.
On May 23, 2018, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the initiation of an investigation to determine the effects on the national security of imports of automobiles – including cars, SUVs, vans and light trucks – and automotive parts. See Thompson Hine International Trade Update, dated June 1, 2018. At that time, the Department…
As part of the Trump administration’s continuing efforts under Section 301 to pressure the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to change its intellectual property and forced technology transfer practices, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced in the Federal Register today (1) which PRC products will be subject to a Section 301 25 percent…
Last Friday, the Trump administration released the list of imported products from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that will be subject to an additional 25 percent tariff. The retaliatory tariffs are the result of (1) the U.S. government’s Section 301 investigation and report that assessed the PRC government’s intellectual property and technology transfer practices…
President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un issued a joint statement at the conclusion of their summit in Singapore in which both countries committed to further negotiations and future cooperation for the development of new relations between the United States and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. In the statement, Trump committed “to provide…
On June 7, 2018, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that Zhongxing Telecommunications Equipment Corporation of Shenzhen, China (ZTE Corporation) and ZTE Kangxun Telecommunications Ltd. of Hi-New Shenzhen, China (ZTE Kangxun) (collectively, ZTE) had agreed to additional penalties and compliance measures to replace Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) denial order imposed as a result of ZTE’s violations of its March 2017 settlement agreement. On April 15, 2018, BIS activated the suspended denial order against ZTE after learning that ZTE had not disciplined numerous employees responsible for the violations that led to the settlement agreement. Instead, ZTE rewarded those employees with bonuses. With the imposition of the denial order by BIS, ZTE announced in early May 2018 that all major operating activities of the company had ceased as a result of the denial order. On May 13, 2018, President Trump, against the advice of U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials, announced that “President Xi of China, and I, are working together to give massive Chinese phone company, ZTE, a way to get back into business, fast. Too many jobs in China lost. Commerce Department has been instructed to get it done!”
President Donald Trump signed yesterday two presidential proclamations adjusting imports of aluminum and steel into the United States. In doing so, he stated that measures are now in place to address the impairment to the national security threatened by imports of steel and aluminum from Argentina, Brazil and Australia. South Korea previously reached an agreement with the United States on April 30 to limit its imports of steel. President Trump added, however, that “similar measures are not in place with respect to steel or aluminum imports from Mexico, Canada or the European Union” and that insufficient progress had been made in ongoing negotiations with these countries. He declared that, as of June 1, 2018, the Section 232 tariffs for steel of 25 percent and for aluminum of 10 percent will no longer be suspended for such imports from these countries. The White House indicated that it will continue discussions with them and remains open to discussions with other countries that may lead to permanent country-based exemptions.
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