The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has published a Federal Register notice approving exclusions from the Section 301 tariff for four imported Chinese products appearing on the first list/tranche of goods valued at $34 billion. The products are:

  • Centrifugal pumps, submersible, designed for use in artificial lift systems for extracting oil and gas (described in statistical reporting number 8413.70.2004);
  • Pistons and housings for hydraulic fluid power pumps of the type used in power lawn mowers (described in statistical reporting number 8413.91.9050 prior to January 1, 2019; described in statistical reporting number 8413.91.9060 effective January 1, 2019);
  • Furnace roll end-shafts of steel (described in statistical reporting number 8417.90.0000); and
  • Multi-phase AC motors of an output of at least 5.8 kW but not exceeding 14.92 kW, each assembled with planetary gears and a gearbox (described in statistical reporting number 8501.52.4000).

The product exclusions will apply retroactively to July 6, 2018 and will expire on October 2, 2020. These exclusions apply to any product that satisfies the description in the annex of the Federal Register notice, regardless of whether the company using the exclusion filed the request. Each exclusion is governed by the scope of the HTS heading and the product description appearing in the annex of the exclusion notice; it is not governed by the product description set out in any particular exclusion request. U.S. Customs and Border Protection will soon issue instructions on entry guidance and implementation. The USTR will continue to issue determinations on pending requests on a periodic basis.