It has not been officially announced yet, but President Donald Trump tweeted today (see below) that products on the yet-to-be-finalized Tranche/List 4 of imports from China valued at $300 billion will be assessed a 10 percent tariff starting September 1. While noting that this week’s trade negotiations between the U.S. and Chinese governments were constructive
Trade Remedy/Enforcement
U.S. Steel Importer Sues Department of Commerce for Denial of Section 232 Product Exclusion Request
On July 30, 2019, JSW Steel (USA), Inc. (JSW) filed a complaint against the United States and, specifically, the Department of Commerce (Department) for denying its product exclusion requests for certain steel imports that otherwise are subject to a 25 percent tariff under President Donald Trump’s March 2018 proclamation implementing such tariffs under Section 232…
USTR Releases First Batch of Product Exclusions for List 2 of the Section 301 Tariffs on Imports from China
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative released today its first batch of product exclusions for List 2 of the Section 301 tariffs on imports from China valued at $16 billion. List 2 products were assessed a 25 percent tariff as of August 23, 2018. This batch of exclusions covers 69 specially prepared product descriptions,…
New CBP Statistics Show $30 Billion in Collections from Tariff Actions
According to recently released U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data, the agency has assessed, as a result of tariffs implemented through U.S. government actions under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and Sections 201 and 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, approximately $30.9 billion in import duties as of July…
U.S. Government Agencies Stress the Importance of Corporate Compliance Programs Through the Issuance of Guidance Documents
In May 2019, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) published the Framework for OFAC Compliance Commitments (“Framework”), which is intended to help organizations subject to U.S. jurisdiction, as well as foreign entities doing business in or with the United States, U.S. persons, or using U.S.-origin goods or services, to develop…
USTR Announces Section 301 Investigation into France’s Digital Services Tax
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a press release announcing the initiation of an investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 into the French government’s planned Digital Services Tax (DST). On March 6, 2019, France released a proposal for a 3 percent levy on revenues that certain companies…
Webinar Recording: Caught in the U.S.-China Trade War Crossfire – A Tariff Survival Guide
If you weren’t able to join us but would still like to have the information, here is a recording of our webinar on strategies to help companies deal with the U.S.-China trade war:
President Trump Signs Executive Order Imposing Further Sanctions on Iran
Following a week of escalating tensions, allegations that Iran attacked two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, Iran’s threat to increase its stockpile of enriched uranium, and its acknowledged downing of an unmanned U.S. drone, President Donald Trump responded on June 24, 2019 by issuing an executive order sanctioning the Supreme Leader of Iran,…
U.S. Government Adds Five Chinese Entities to Entity List
The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has determined that five Chinese companies are acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States and thus pose a significant risk. In a Federal Register notice, BIS announced that it has placed the following companies on the Entity…
Department of the Treasury Sanctions Iran’s Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company
On June 7, 2019, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Iran’s largest petrochemical holding group, Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (PGPIC). In addition to PGPIC, OFAC placed 39 PGPIC subsidiaries and foreign-based sales agents on its Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List. According to OFAC, PGPIC was sanctioned for having…