The U.S. on Feb. 3 brought a complaint against importer Shunny Corp., doing business as Sampac Enterprises, alleging that the company negligently misreported the country of origin of its health products to avoid import duties. The government is seeking nearly $200,000 in unpaid duties, along with a nearly $1.4 million penalty (United States v. Shunny Corp., CIT # 25-00039).
Trade lawyers at Thompson Hine told clients and stakeholders that the old approaches to lobbying for North American trade don't work on the Trump administration. Don't try arguing that sourcing in Mexico makes your products more price competitive. Don't explain that the three countries' manufacturing supply chains are integrated. Don't tell them that 60% of the value of the Mexican car was in U.S. parts exported to the assembly plant. Don't try to argue that a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada will cause inflation. "They don't want to hear, 'It's going to cost more,' said Dan Ujczo, a senior counsel at the law firm. "'We have invested x amount of dollars, and here are the jobs in the United States,' that’s what they want to hear."
The Commerce Department is amending the final results of an antidumping duty administrative review on circular welded non-alloy steel pipe from South Korea (A-580-809) to revise its results so that they align with the Jan. 15 final decision in a court case that challenged rate calculations in those original final results. In that review, covering subject merchandise entered Nov. 1, 2019, through Oct. 31, 2020, Hyundai Steel Company was given a 1.97% AD rate, Husteel Co., Ltd. received a 4.07% AD rate, and 21 non-individually examined companies were given a review average rate of 3.21%.
DOJ under President Donald Trump likely will pursue greater criminal enforcement of the most recent tariffs imposed on China to serve as a "general deterrent" and "punish instances of serious misconduct," attorneys at BakerHostetler said in a recent post. In response, foreign parties should be "mindful of their potential criminal exposure," partners Artie McConnell, Jennifer Solari and Michael Snarr said.
After pulling back for the moment on threatened 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports, China is the only country facing imminent tariffs over fentanyl smuggling. The 10% tariffs will be added to most favored nation duties or, for goods subject to Section 301 duties of either 25% or 7.5%, to those duties and the underlying MFN rates.
The Commerce Department published its preliminary affirmative antidumping determination Jan. 30 that low speed personal transportation vehicles from China (A-570-176), including golf carts, are being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value. Commerce found “critical circumstances” for all Chinese companies, and will retroactively suspend liquidation and impose antidumping duty cash deposit requirements for all subject merchandise as of Nov. 1.
CBP has shifted its forced labor enforcement efforts to the automotive and aerospace sectors in the first quarter of FY 2025, according to analysis from Kharon, a risk analytics platform.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Institute of Standards and Technology would have to develop a methodology for identifying the country of origin of red snapper and some species of imported tuna, if a bipartisan bill re-introduced in the Senate becomes law.
The Commerce Department is amending the Nov. 14, 2024, final results of an antidumping duty administrative review on common alloy aluminum sheet from Turkey (A-489-839), covering entries between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023, to correct ministerial errors regarding some calculations used to arrive at the final dumping margins. The changes, which lowered the margins, were made following comments from the two companies affected -- Assan Aluminyum Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., Kibar Americas, Inc., and Kibar Dis Ticaret A.S. (collectively, Assan) and Teknik Aluminyum Sanayi A.S. -- made in response to the published final results. The new rates are applicable Jan. 30.
Commerce secretary nominee Howard Lutnick vigorously defended the prospect of imposing tariffs on all goods from places like the EU, Japan or South Korea during his confirmation hearing Jan. 29, saying those countries deserve it, as they either use food safety rules to protect their farmers, put up barriers to American car imports, or undercut American manufacturing with their exports of manufactured goods.