Tariffs/Trade Policy

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On October 10, 2020, President Donald Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation announcing further action to safeguard domestic production of crystalline silicon photovoltaic (CSPV) cells (i.e., solar cells). In June 2018, the president implemented tariffs on imports of certain solar cells (see Update of January 23, 2018) under Section 201 of the Trade…

On September 29, 2020, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) requested that the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) initiate a Section 201 global safeguard investigation into “the extent to which increased imports of blueberries have caused serious injury or threat thereof to domestic blueberry growers.” This is one of numerous proposed actions announced…

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued two Federal Register notices announcing the extension of a limited number of product exclusions from the Section 301 tariffs for imports from China appearing on List 1 (products from China with an annual trade value of $34 billion) and List 2 (products from China with…

On September 30, President Donald Trump issued an executive order (EO) declaring a national emergency to address “the threat posed by our Nation’s undue reliance on critical minerals, in processed or unprocessed form, from foreign adversaries.” In a message to Congress, the president stated that a “strong America cannot be dependent on imports from foreign…

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued two Federal Register notices announcing the extension of numerous product exclusions from the Section 301 tariffs for imports from China appearing on List 1 (products from China with an annual trade value of $34 billion) and List 2 (products from China with an annual trade…

On September 15, 2020, a dispute settlement panel of the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled that President Donald Trump’s tariffs against China violate the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) because they are prima facie inconsistent with Articles I:1 (Most-favored Nation Treatment) and certain of the GATT’s schedules and concessions, and the United States…

On September 15, 2020, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) issued a statement that it will “modify the terms of the 10% tariff imposed in August on imports of Canadian non-alloyed unwrought aluminum.” The United States will resume duty-free treatment of the Canadian aluminum retroactive to September 1, 2020, based on the…

On September 10, 2020, HMTX Industries LLC and two of its subsidiaries (“complainants”) filed a complaint at the U.S. Court of International Trade (“CIT”) alleging an unlawful escalation of the ongoing trade war with China through the imposition of a third round of tariffs on imports covered under List/Tranche 3. Arguing that the Trade Act…

On August 28, 2020, President Donald Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation No. 10064 to adjust U.S. imports of steel from Brazil for national security reasons. In May 2018, President Trump granted an exemption for Brazilian steel products from additional tariffs imposed under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which provides the president…

On August 28, 2020, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) issued a Federal Register notice announcing the extension of numerous product exclusions from the Section 301 tariffs for imports from China appearing on List 4A (products from China with an annual trade value of $300 billion). The exemptions include 14 10-digit Harmonized Tariff…