2019

President Donald J. Trump has issued an executive order, “Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain,” that declares a national emergency as to the threats against information and communications technology and services in the United States. It delegates authority to the secretary of Commerce to prohibit transactions posing an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of U.S. persons. In a brief press statement, the White House noted, “The President has made it clear that this Administration will do what it takes to keep America safe and prosperous, and to protect America from foreign adversaries who are actively and increasingly creating and exploiting vulnerabilities in information and communications technology infrastructure and services in the United States.”

After trade negotiations between China and the United States faltered last week, China announced on May 13, 2019, that it would retaliate against the United States’ increase in Section 301 tariffs on certain Chinese products from 10 percent to 25 percent (see Trump and Trade Update of May 9, 2019). China’s Ministry of Finance announced that as of June 1, 2019, it will increase the tariffs on imports of U.S. goods valued at approximately $60 billion in response to the increase in tariffs implemented by the United States. While not adding goods to its list at this time, China will be increasing the tariffs it imposed on over 5,000 U.S. products on September 24, 2018 (see Trump and Trade Update of September 19, 2018). With the May 13 announcement, the Ministry of Finance indicated that on June 1, 2019, 2,493 U.S. products will now be subject to a 25 percent tariff; 1,078 products will be increased to a 20 percent tariff; and 974 products will be subject to a 10 percent tariff. A 5 percent tariff will remain in place on 595 U.S. products. (Note: All of the linked documents related to the announcement by China’s Ministry of Finance are in Chinese. As soon as English translations become available, they will be posted.)

On March 7, 2019, Cambria Company LLC filed petitions on behalf of the domestic industry with the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) and the U.S. International Trade Commission (Commission) seeking antidumping and countervailing duties on imports of certain quartz surface products from India and Turkey. According to the petitions, quartz surface product imports from these two countries are being sold at less than fair value in the United States and receive countervailable subsidies, causing material injury and threatening further material injury to the U.S. industry if duties are not imposed.

On the same day that the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) raised the Section 301 tariff rate to 25 percent on imports from China valued at $200 billion that had been subject to a 10 percent tariff rate since September 24, 2018, the USTR also announced its fourth batch of products to be…

Since publication of yesterday’s update (see Trump Administration Increases Section 301 Import Tariff on Third Tranche of Chinese Products from 10% to 25%), questions have been raised as to whether the tariff increase affects shipments from China in process, or “on the water.” The USTR has indicated that products of China that are covered…

President Donald Trump has announced further action against Iran by imposing sanctions on its iron, steel, aluminum and copper sectors, the country’s largest non-petroleum-related sources of export revenue. In an executive order, the president implemented blocking sanctions on any person determined by the secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the secretary of State,…

Today, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) formally published a notice in the Federal Register confirming what President Donald Trump tweeted out last Sunday: U.S. imports of Chinese products, valued at $200 billion, that have been subject to a Section 301 10 percent tariff since September 24, 2018, will face a 25 percent…

Just days after it became publicly known that U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer was preparing to implement an exclusion request process for the third tranche of imported Chinese products valued at $200 billion and subject to a 10 percent tariff under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 (see Trump and Trade Update…

In February 2019, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer testified before the House Ways & Means Committee regarding U.S.-China trade issues (see Trump and Trade Update of February 28, 2019). During the hearing, Lighthizer testified that an exclusion request process would be instituted on the third tranche of imported Chinese products subject to a…