GoPro remains "on track" to begin "ramping" its "U.S.-bound" action-camera production this quarter in Guadalajara, Mexico, as a proactive hedge against possible future Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods, Chief Financial Officer Brian McGee said on a Q1 earnings call May 9. GoPro has no current exposure to the three rounds of tariffs imposed since July, but wanted protection anyway against new duties, he said. Guadalajara's production ramp will "support" U.S. sales beginning in Q3, McGee said. "We expect most of our U.S.-bound cameras will be in production in Mexico in the second half of 2019." GoPro's decision to shift production from China to Mexico for most cameras destined for U.S. import "supports our goal to insulate us against possible tariffs, as well as recognize some cost-saving and efficiencies," he said. GoPro says it's keeping production of non-U.S. cameras in China because it's an important strategic hub and the Chinese consumer market loves the product.

The Southern Shrimp Alliance welcomes the hike to 25 percent on List 3 of the Section 301 tariffs, because, it notes, the 10 percent tariff only reduced imports of frozen breaded shrimp by 22 percent. The alliance said that there was $115 million worth of Chinese breaded shrimp imported in the U.S. from October to February, and that's virtually the same volume of imports as in 2017. Nearly all other frozen shrimp is subject to substantial antidumping duties, the alliance said. But breaded shrimp "is not subject to antidumping dutiesand prior to September 24th, importers paid no duties on any breaded shrimp shipped from China."

A farmer in Indiana who grows soybeans and corn said that with President Donald Trump's tweet on China on May 5, corn prices dropped 4 percent, or another $50,000, for the unsold crop and expected summer harvest on his 5,000-acre farm. Before the trade war, a typical profit for the farm that Brent Bible runs with a partner would be about $225,000. This year, he's expecting a loss.

Cornerstone Government Affairs will expand its trade practice, the lobbying firm said in a May 8 news release. "The rapid pace of change in the global economic arena has left many stakeholders trying to react, catch up, and anticipate the next trade tremor (or worse, earthquake)," Cornerstone said. With the expansion, "we are here to help stakeholders secure the results they need in the negotiation, implementation, and modernization of trade agreements, and stay informed on trade policy developments," it said. "Examples of our work include filing comments with the International Trade Commission and testifying before [the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative] on the impact of tariffs; analyzing historical duty levels to inform stakeholders of product-specific impacts; and designing and executing legislative and regulatory strategies to resolve problems and promote interests."

Even as it described the cloudy outlook for the new NAFTA's ratification, a new report from the American Council for Capital Formation's Center for Policy Research says policy makers should ratify the agreement, and not move toward a withdrawal from NAFTA.

Private equity investor Platinum Equity completed its previously announced purchase of Livingston International (see 1902210017), Platinum said in a May 2 news release. Livingston "is the largest pure-play customs brokerage in North America and boasts the widest presence along America's northern border," Platinum said. "It is also the third-largest customs entry filer in the United States. The company serves as a trusted adviser to more than 30,000 businesses globally, facilitating the completion and transmission of customs documentation and ensuring goods are cleared through international borders seamlessly and expediently." Terms of the deal weren't released.

The Coalition for a Prosperous America recruited about 50 companies and a few local trade groups, such as the Tooling, Manufacturing and Technologies Association of Farmington Hills, Michigan, to sign a letter opposing Section 232 reform. Two bills have been introduced in both chambers that would give Congress more say on when the national security tariffs are levied. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is working on a way to bridge the two bills. His bill would allow the president to implement tariffs for a period of time, but they could not continue without congressional approval. The letter, sent April 30, said giving Congress the authority to approve the tariffs rather than disapprove them "would be unprecedented and would effectively kill the Section 232 law." The letter notes that the 1962 law that allows these tariffs "expressly recognizes that our nation’s economic welfare is critical to national security."

Companies that save thousands or even hundreds of thousands on tariffs by sourcing under the Generalized System of Preferences program will likely shift sourcing to China, or cut back on hours or workers, a new survey from a pro-GSP coalition found. The group, which published its report May 1, talked to about 125 businesses that use GSP -- to import from India and Turkey, but also those that import from Thailand and Indonesia. Those countries are currently under review. The terminations for India and Turkey could take effect as soon as May 4.

Maersk will offer a new customs clearance online shipping management platform in Germany, France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland, the United Kingdom and Spain, the company said in a news release. “This new one-stop-shop allows us to timely and efficiently handle export and import declarations for our customers," said Vincent Clerc, chief commercial officer of A.P. Moller-Maersk. "The solution provides downstream benefits of full governance and compliance, eliminates the need to provide a quote as pricing is displayed online, saving three to five minutes per quote.” The company plans to expand the service to the rest of the world by the end of the year. "It saves our customers time, money and headaches reducing the number of intermediaries they deal with from three or four to just one as well as paperwork which subsequently reduce the time spent on transactional procedures," Clerc said. "Time saved they can then devote to grow their businesses.”

UPS, “like most other U.S. multinationals,” advocates for “fair and balanced trade,” CEO David Abney said on a Q1 earnings call April 25. The China-U.S. trade “uncertainty” is “prompting softer industry forecasts” in the Asia-Pacific region, he said. “We certainly encourage leaders of the two countries to find solutions that support increased two-way trade,” and also “assuring that many U.S. companies have access to export to China,” he said. Some UPS customers “have adjusted their supply chain” to mitigate the higher costs of the Section 301 tariffs and retaliatory Chinese duties, and to “adapt to changing trade dynamics,” he said. China economically “is still strong, maybe not as strong as in previous years,” he said. There are “a lot of developments” taking place in two-way trade between the U.S. and China, but also between “China and the rest of the world,” he said. That “sometimes gets lost in the China-U.S. discussions,” he said. “We think it gives us plenty of opportunities to focus and to apply our strategic imperatives” in e-commerce, he said. “We feel good about the economy for the rest of the year.”