The Mercatus Center, a free market-oriented research organization at George Mason University, continues to be critical of the Section 232 steel and aluminum exclusion process. In an update published Jan. 28, Christine McDaniel and Danielle Parks wrote that more than half of requests are still pending, and that 76 percent of requests have taken longer than the expected 90 days to get a decision. The Commerce Department originally projected it could decide on exclusions within 90 days. Overall, of steel requests that have received rulings, just over 75 percent have been approved, according to the Mercatus analysis. The analysis says that for companies requesting exclusions, Japan is the most frequent source of the steel, representing 18 percent of the requests filed before the partial federal government shutdown. Spain was No. 2, with just over 12 percent of requests, and China was third, with 12 percent of requests. For aluminum, Canada represents 13.6 percent of the requests, and India, 12.95 percent of the requests.
The Jan. 16-17 meeting of the Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness is canceled due to the ongoing partial federal government shutdown, said Rick Blasgen, chairman of the committee and CEO of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, in a Jan. 9 email.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told interviewers on CNBC that "there's a very good chance that we will get a reasonable settlement, that China can live with, we can live with and that addresses all of the key issues in the running trade war between the U.S. and China. A U.S. delegation is in China negotiating (see 1901040037). Ross, who was speaking Jan. 7, said that a comprehensive settlement will include soybean and liquefied natural gas purchases by China, structural reforms and enforceability. He said the last is the hardest. "An agreement is fine, but the history here has not been so good on compliance. So the real issue is, what are the punishments if people don't do what they promised to do?"
The Foreign-Trade Zones Board issued the following notice for Dec. 27:
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration seeks comments on its information collection on certifications of admissibility required at the time of entry for certain fish and fish products. Transmitted via ACE, the certifications are used to import fish and fish products that are not subject to import bans from countries where bans on other fish and fish products are in effect. The certifications are currently required for imports of certain fish and fish products from Mexico (see 1808270014). Comments are due Feb. 25, 2019.
The Foreign-Trade Zones Board issued the following notice for Dec. 17-26:
The Commerce Department set the 12-month 2019 value-added tariff preference level for certain apparel imported directly from Haiti (Harmonized Tariff Schedule 9820.61.25 for entry-specific claims or 9820.61.30 for aggregate claims) eligible to receive duty-free treatment under the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity Through Partnership for Encouragement Act (HOPE). For the one-year period beginning on Dec. 20, 2018, and extending through Dec. 19, 2019, the recalculated quantity of imports eligible for preferential treatment under the value-added TPL is 372,889,066 square meters equivalent (SME), a increase of more than 11 million SME over 2018 levels. Apparel articles entered in excess of this TPL will be subject to otherwise applicable duty rates.
The Foreign-Trade Zones Board issued the following notice for Dec. 12:
Ten percent tariffs on imported aluminum has driven about 1,000 new jobs, and has not cost jobs among aluminum consumers, according to an Economic Policy Institute report released Dec. 11. One of the aluminum companies that sought Section 232 protection, Century Aluminum, funded the report, and participated in its rollout, through the American Primary Aluminum Association trade group. The report also noted that 22 projects, some expansions, some new, have been announced in rolled and extruded aluminum facilities. These facilities are downstream aluminum, and are not protected by Section 232, though some are protected by antidumping duties. These projects are expected employ more than 2,000 workers when they are open.
The Foreign-Trade Zones Board issued the following notice for Dec. 11: