On November 23, 2022, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a Withhold Release Order (WRO) that mandates CBP personnel at all U.S. ports of entry detain raw sugar and sugar-based products produced in the Dominican Republic by Central Romana Corporation Limited (Central Romana). This WRO followed an investigation that reasonably indicated Central Romana uses forced

On November 23, 2022, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced the further extension of exclusions for numerous products used to combat COVID-19 that are subject to China Section 301 tariffs. The exclusions were scheduled to expire on November 30, 2022, and have been extended for an additional 90 days, until February 28,

As previously reported, on November, 15, 2022, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) opened a docket to receive public comments on the continuation of tariffs in the Section 301 investigation of China’s Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation.  The questionnaire form provides sections for comments on both

On Friday, November 4, 2022, the government defendants in the ongoing Court of International Trade (CIT) litigation challenging the validity of the China Section 301 tariffs filed their response to the comments of the plaintiff group and amici curiae on the remand explanation of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).  In filing their

On November 1, 2022, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) posted a list of questions interested parties may address in the agency’s ongoing four-year statutory review of the Section 301 investigation of China’s Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation. While the portal for submitting comments will not

UPDATE: On November 1, 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a message announcing that implementation of its Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Region Alert is postponed until further notice. CBP stated that its Office of Trade “is actively working with impacted users to address concerns” and that a new implementation date will

On October 12, 2022, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) issued a notice and request for comments regarding its ongoing four-year statutory review of the Section 301 investigation of China’s Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation. The USTR is seeking public comments on the effectiveness of the

On September 21, 2022, after a year-long Section 232 investigation, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced that rare earth neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnet imports threaten national security. The investigation was initiated in September 2021 due to concerns that “critical national security systems rely on NdFeB permanent magnets, including fighter aircraft and

On September 14, 2022, the plaintiff group in the ongoing China Section 301 tariff refund litigation before the Court of International Trade (CIT) filed its comments in response to the USTR’s remand explanation.  The comments highlight that the CIT offered the USTR a final opportunity to explain its rationale and reasoning as to why it

On September 2, 2022, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) confirmed, as part of its statutory four-year review process under the Trade Act of 1974, that (1) domestic industry representatives benefiting from the tariff actions in the Section 301 investigation of China’s Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property,