On February 7, 2023, the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) heard oral arguments on the USTR’s remand explanation and the plaintiff group’s reply comments. The hearing addressed the CIT’s earlier finding that the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) failed to respond adequately to comments it received during the rulemaking process when
Federal Circuit Reverses CIT Decision and Allows Section 232 Tariffs on Steel Derivatives
On February 7, 2023, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) issued an opinion in PrimeSource Building Products, Inc. v. United States et al., Case No. 2021-2066, reversing a lower court decision and upholding the imposition of additional Section 232 national security tariffs on derivatives of certain imported
GAO Audit: AD/CVD Process Ensures Petitions Are Not Meritless, Inaccurate, Incomplete or Filed to Obstruct Domestic Market Competition
- The GAO publicly released an audit to address concerns that domestic industries “may sometimes file [AD/CVD] petitions without merit to obstruct domestic market competition.”
- In its audit, the GAO analyzed the process administered by federal agencies to impose AD/CVD orders.
- The GAO concluded that the agency process for obtaining these orders, as well
GAO Report Notes Supply Chain Resilience with Trade Partners Requires Expanded Diplomatic Engagement
In February 2021 and pursuant to Executive Order 14017, “America’s Supply Chains,” President Joe Biden directed a review across all federal agencies to address vulnerabilities in the supply chains for critical goods. See Update of February 25, 2021. Subsequent federal agency reviews and a White House report found five key U.S. supply chain vulnerabilities
USTR Extends Section 301 Tariff Exclusions for Chinese COVID-19 Medical Products and Seeks Public Comment
On February 3, 2023, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced that it is extending for 75 days China Section 301 tariff exclusions for 81 medical products. The medical products were previously deemed as needed for the COVID-19 pandemic and granted exclusions from additional tariffs. The current exclusions were scheduled to expire on
U.S. Hosts Initial Ministerial of the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity
On January 27, 2023, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai hosted the initial ministerial for the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity (APEP), a regional framework for cooperation to promote inclusive economic growth and strengthen competitiveness. The APEP consists of the United States, Barbados, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the
U.S. Tin Mill Products Industry Files Petitions Seeking Trade Remedies For Imports From Eight Countries
In multiple petitions filed on January 18, 2023, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (collectively, “the Petitioners”) requested the imposition of antidumping duties on U.S. imports of certain tin- and chromium-coated steel sheet products (“tin mill products”) from Canada, China, Germany, Netherlands
Panel Concludes Automakers May Continue Core Parts “Roll-up” to Meet USMCA’s RVC Passenger Vehicle and Light Truck Requirements
A United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Chapter 31 Dispute Resolution Panel concluded that automakers may continue to use the longstanding practice of “roll-up” when calculating the percentage of North American-originating materials used in the production of core automotive parts (e.g., engines) that is subsequently factored into the computation for determining the total amount of originating content
USTR Extends Termination Date for Certain Chinese Products Subject to Section 301 Tariff Exclusions
On December 16, 2022, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released a Federal Register notice announcing that it was extending the termination date — from December 31, 2022 until September 30, 2023 — for Section 301 tariff exclusions that apply to 352 Chinese products. These exclusions were initially reinstated on March 28, 2022 (
U.S. and AfCFTA Members Sign MOU on Trade Cooperation
On December 14, 2022, the United States and African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat (AfCFTA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation for Trade and Investment between the United States and the African Continental Free Trade Area (MOU). The MOU was signed by U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai and AfCFTA Secretary General Wamkele Mene during