On May 6, 2026, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) issued a notice initiating its second statutory four-year review of Section 301 tariffs on imports of certain Chinese products initially implemented by the Trump administration in its 2018 investigation of China’s Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation. The first step in the four-year review process is notifying representatives of domestic industries benefiting from these actions of their possible termination and the opportunity to request their continuation. Specifically, this notice is seeking comments from domestic industries on the two Section 301 tariff actions that became effective July 6, 2018 and August 23, 2018.
Without opposition, these tariff actions are set to expire on their four-year anniversary dates. They involve the assessment of Section 301 tariffs on products with an approximate annual trade value of $34 billion effective July 6, 2018 (List 1), and on products with an approximate annual trade value of $16 billion effective August 23, 2018 (List 2). The USTR subsequently issued notices modifying these actions to impose additional tariffs on various other imports of Chinese products identified in different tranches commonly known as Lists 3 and 4A on September 21, 2018 and August 20, 2019, respectively. To ensure comprehensive coverage of the review, the USTR will consider the List 3 and List 4A modifications as applicable to both the July 6, 2018 action and the August 23, 2018 action.
Domestic industry representatives may submit their requests for the July 6, 2018 action between May 7, 2026 and July 5, 2026. Requests on the August 23, 2018 action may be submitted between June 24, 2026 and August 22, 2026. Submissions should be made at https://comments.ustr.gov/s/. Representatives of a domestic industry benefiting from both of the trade actions under Section 301 should submit two separate requests for continuation of each action.
If no request is received, these Section 301 trade actions will terminate on July 6, 2026 and August 23, 2026, respectively. If the USTR receives a request to continue, it will announce the continuation of these actions and will undertake a review of the effectiveness of the actions in achieving Section 301 objectives, other actions that could be taken, and the effects of such actions on the U.S. economy, including consumers. The USTR will then open a separate portal for interested persons to submit their comments addressing these issues.