Tariffs/Trade Policy

Subscribe to Tariffs/Trade Policy via RSS

In a May 28, 2020 Federal Register notice, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), without explanation or precedent, revoked two granted Section 301 product exclusions.  In early May 2020, the USTR approved a batch of product exclusions for certain List/Tranche 4 products (imports from China with an annual trade value of $300…

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has released its summary of specific negotiating objectives for the initiation of U.S.-Kenya trade negotiations. As part of the process of formulating these objectives, the USTR on March 23, 2020, solicited public comments (see Trump and Trade Update of April 13, 2020) and received over…

The Department of Commerce has issued a Federal Register notice seeking public comment on (1) the appropriateness of the information its Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) requested and considered in applying the Section 232 exclusion criteria to product exclusion requests, and (2) the efficiency and transparency of the product exclusion process itself. This request…

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a Federal Register notice exempting Section 301 import tariffs for certain List 3 products from China (imports from China with an annual trade value of $200 billion). The exemptions cover 17 ten-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) subheadings and 61 specially prepared product descriptions, which cover…

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), after seeking comments on whether to extend for up to 12 months exclusions from the Section 301 tariffs granted in May 2019 for certain imports from China (see Trump and Trade Update of March 2, 2020), has approved 13 extensions covering the following Harmonized Tariff…

Two recent federal government actions have highlighted national security concerns related to the nation’s power grid. First, on May 1, 2020, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that will likely lead to restrictions on the procurement and use of electric equipment from certain foreign adversaries for use in the U.S. power grid. Second, on…

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a Federal Register notice excluding certain List/Tranche 4 products (imports from China with an annual trade value of $300 billion) from China Section 301 tariffs. The exemptions cover three 10-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) subheadings and five specially-prepared product descriptions, which cover 27 separately submitted…

On May 6, 2020, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released a Federal Register notice seeking public comment on whether extensions for up to 12 months should be granted for particular products that have received exclusions in the China Section 301 process from the 25 percent tariffs on imports from China with an…

On May 4, 2020, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) released the results of its investigation to identify imported products related to the COVID-19 pandemic response. The report and database identify 112 U.S. Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) numbers covering a “mix of COVID-19 related” goods, including test kits/instruments;  disinfectants and sterilization products; pulse oximeters and…

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a Federal Register notice exempting Section 301 tariffs for certain List 3 (imports from China with an annual trade value of $200 billion) products. The exemptions cover two 10-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) subheading and 144 specially-prepared product descriptions, which cover 185 separately submitted exclusion…