In a series of notices, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) granted exclusions from Section 301 tariffs for certain imported Chinese products on List 1 (valued at $34 billion), List 2 (valued at $16 billion and List 3 (valued at $200 billion). Products on these lists currently face a 25 percent Section 301
Trade Remedy/Enforcement
OFAC Issues Additional Economic Sanctions Targeting Iran, Russia and Venezuela
In September, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) continued to tighten its sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, and addressed a sanctions-evading scheme for Syria involving several Russian entities.
- Iran: On September 20, 2019, OFAC announced that it was designating the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), the National Development
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U.S. International Trade Commission Launches New MTB Petition Process
On October 11, 2019, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) will begin accepting Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) petitions for duty suspension or reduction. Before opening the process and electronic portal for filings, the ITC will be holding a “MTB Walk-Through” on October 8, 2019, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET. The walk-through will provide…
China Releases First Batch of Product Exclusions for Tariffs on Imports from the United States
On September 11, 2019, the Customs Tariff Commission of China’s State Council (CTCSC) announced its first batch of tariff exclusions for imports of U.S. products, covering shrimp, fish meal, lubricants and more, according to an unofficial translation of a Ministry of Finance press release. These exclusions will be executed under two different lists:
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United States to Further Tighten Cuban Sanctions
The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that, effective October 9, 2019, the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) will be amended to further restrict certain financial transactions involving Cuba and to deny Cuba access to hard currency. In a press release, OFAC announced that these changes will amend certain…
OFAC Further Tightens Sanctions on Iran and North Korea
In the past week, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has continued to increase pressure on Iran and North Korea by further identifying certain individuals and entities in the shipping sector as engaging in illicit activities and tightening related economic sanctions.
On August 30, 2019, OFAC designated two individuals, three…
USTR Formally Proposes Section 301 Tariff Increase from 25% to 30% on Imports of Certain Chinese Products
Following up on President Donald Trump’s tweets and an earlier press statement (see Trump and Trade Update of August 26, 2019), the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has formally published a Federal Register notice requesting public comment on its intent to increase the Section 301 tariff from 25 percent to 30 percent…
USTR Formally Increases Tranche/List 4 Tariffs from 10 to 15 Percent
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) formally announced today that an additional duty rate of 15 percent – not 10 percent as originally announced – will begin Sept. 1, 2019, on products imported from China and covered under Annex A of the August 20, 2019 Federal Register notice concerning tariffs on imported Chinese…
China Announces Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S. Products; President Trump Responds with Tariff Increase on Chinese Products
On August 23, 2019, the ongoing trade dispute between the United States and China escalated quickly when China announced that it would impose tariffs on an additional $75 billion worth of imports from the United States and President Trump tweeted in response that China should not have done so and that the United States would…
Commerce Adds 46 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Entities to its Entities List; Extends Temporary General License
In a Federal Register notice published on August 21, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced that it has added 46 non-U.S. affiliates of Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei) to the Entity List because they “pose a significant risk of involvement in activities contrary to the national security or foreign…
