Americans for Free Trade, a coalition of more than 100 trade groups, asked the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to extend a public comment period to respond to proposed changes to the Section 301 tariffs and a new product exclusion process limited to industrial machinery. They said another 30 days would be in the public interest.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said it heard from nearly 300 stakeholders in its request for comment on improving supply chain resiliency. Of those, 84 testified in Washington (see 2405010016), St. Paul, New York or in a virtual hearing.
The Biden administration's proposed Section 301 tariff hikes on various Chinese goods (see 2405220072) would continue to skirt World Trade Organization commitments and strip the global economy of international tribunals, which are key to curbing "persistent protectionism," said George Washington Law School professor Steve Charnovitz in comments on the proposed tariffs.
A summary of U.S. proposed text for a customs facilitation language in the Kenya-U.S. Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership says it is asking Kenya to publish all international trade information online, and to answer questions about trade without charging for the contact. It asks Kenya to maintain uniform procedures on advance rulings, and to provide appeals for customs administration issues. It asks Kenya to adopt a single window system for electronic forms and supporting documents, and to allow for immediate release of goods prior to a final determination of duties through customs bonds, and to accept electronic payment of duties.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, when asked about the U.S. views on reviving dispute settlement at the World Trade Organization, said that countries need to reflect on how the previous system provided incentives for the U.S. and EU to "continue fighting for almost 20 years about state support for Boeing and Airbus, caused us to fight with each other, and pick at each other while the PRC [People's Republic of China] built up its own large civil aircraft industry under our noses."
As U.S. and Kenya officials negotiate the Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership, they are holding a virtual stakeholder listening session at 9 a.m. East Africa Time on June 7. Those who wish to attend should email MBX.USTR.IAPE@USTR.eop.gov by 4 p.m. East Africa Time on June 6.
Eleven workers were rehired at Minera Tizapa, and the mining company will bargain with the new union, the Office of U.S. Trade Representative and Labor Department announced, as a result of a rapid response labor complaint. The company had paid a bonus only to workers associated with the old union; as a result of this settlement, that bonus was paid to 249 other workers.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is publishing a request for comments on the administrative burden of applying for Section 301 exclusions for manufacturing equipment. The comments will be due by July 30.
Liquidation of imported fabricated steel components from Servicios Industriales González in Nuevo Leon will resume, as the U.S. is satisfied with remediation at the facility after a USMCA rapid response labor complaint.