After closing the public docket on June 28, 2024, for comments on proposed tariff increases for certain products subject to the China section 301 investigation, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) issued a July 30, 2024 press release stating that it received more than 1,100 public comments requiring further review and that the tariff increases scheduled for 2024, which were set to go into effect on August 1, 2024, will still take effect in August but approximately two weeks after USTR makes the final determination public. In the initial May 28, 2024 Federal Register Request for Comments, USTR proposed additional section 301 tariffs on China to “encourag[e] China to take steps toward eliminating some of its technology transfer-related acts, policies, and practices” that adversely impacted U.S. persons and businesses. See Update of May 28, 2024. This notification followed President Joe Biden’s May 14, 2024 memorandum to USTR to “enhanc[e] the effectiveness of the tariff actions by adding or increasing section 301 tariffs on certain products in strategic sectors…[especially on] products targeted by China for dominance, or [that] are products in sectors where the United States has recently made significant investments.” See Bulletin of May 15, 2024. The public comments addressed additional or new modifications to 382 tariff lines with an approximate annual trade value of $18 billion (in 2023).
For additional background information on the China section 301 investigation, see Update of May 3, 2022 and Update of September 6, 2022.