The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has released another list of products that have been granted exclusions from the Section 301 tariffs on imported goods from China, granting exemptions in response to 348 separate exclusion requests for products that meet 21 specially prepared product descriptions. The exclusions cover a wide range of products, including certain pumps, roller machines, water oxidizers/chlorinators, ratchet winches, elevators and conveyors, goods used on forklifts and other work trucks, parts of drill sharpening machines, outer shells, parts of mechanical awnings and shades, parts of shredders, steering wheels for watercrafts, pressure regulators, pipe brackets for air brake control valves, push pins and C-poles for solenoid valves, ball bearings, inductor baseplates, parts of soldering irons and soldering machines, motor vehicle gear shift switch assemblies, pressure switches for heat pumps and air-conditioning condensers, instruments to measure or check voltage or electrical connections.
These exclusions will apply to any product meeting the description in the annex of the notice, regardless of whether the importer filed an exclusion request. The scope of each exclusion is governed by the scope of the 10-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) headings and product descriptions in the annex; they are not governed by the product description set out in any particular exclusion request. These exclusions apply as of July 6, 2018, which was the implementation date for the tariffs implemented by the president toward imported Chinese products worth $34 billion, and will extend for one year from the date of this notice in the Federal Register (to April 18, 2020). U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will issue instructions on entry guidance and implementation.