Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill and Tate & Lyle recently filed a petition with the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission requesting new antidumping duties on citric acid and certain citrate salts from Belgium, Colombia and Thailand, and new countervailing duties on citric acid and certain citrate salts from Thailand. Commerce will now decide whether to begin AD/CVD investigations on citric acid from these countries.
Harmonized Tariff Schedule
The Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) is a reference manual that provides duty rates for almost every item that exists. It is a system of classifying and taxing all goods imported into the United States. The HTS is based on the international Harmonized System, which is a global standard for naming and describing trade products, and consists of a hierarchical structure that assigns a specific code and rate to each type of merchandise for duty, quota, and statistical purposes. The HTS was made effective on January 1, 1989, replacing the former Tariff Schedules of the United States. It is maintained by the U.S. International Trade Commission, but the Customs and Border Protection of the Department of Homeland Security is responsible for interpreting and enforcing the HTS.
A group of domestic manufacturers recently filed a petition with the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission requesting new antidumping duties on fine denier polyester staple fiber from China, India, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam, and new countervailing duties on fine denier polyester staple fiber from China and India. Commerce will now decide whether to begin AD/CVD investigations on fine denier PSF from these countries. The petition was filed by DAK Americas, Nan Ya Plastics America and Auriga Polymers.
The World Customs Organization updated its guide released earlier this year for updating preferential rules of origin (see 1701190008) to include annexes on the impacts of Harmonized System amendments and a presentation, the WCO said (here). The WCO issued the guide (here) after the 2017 changes to the Harmonized System tariff schedule adopted by WCO members, including the U.S. The updated guide now includes "Annexes I – B to III – B (impact of HS Amendments on rules of origin) and Appendix (presentation)," the WCO said. The International Trade Commission posted in January the Preliminary Edition of the 2017 Harmonized Tariff Schedule, which implements the WCO tariff changes in the U.S. and largely took effect at the beginning of 2017 (see 1701090071).
The International Trade Commission launched an investigation on the economic effects of providing duty-free treatment under NAFTA for currently dutiable imports, following a May 18 request by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the ITC said (here). USTR asked the ITC to consider each article in Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) chapters 1 through 97 “for which tariffs will remain,” taking into account U.S. World Trade Organization commitments. Specifically, USTR requested that the report highlight the probable economic impacts of duty-free NAFTA treatment on consumers and U.S. industries producing like or directly competitive products, the ITC said. Sections of the ITC’s report, which is to be sent to USTR by Aug. 16, relating to advice and assessment of probable economic effects will be classified. The ITC will host a public hearing in connection with the investigation on June 20, and will accept pre-hearing briefs and statements until June 13 and post-hearing briefs until June 26, the ITC said.
The International Trade Commission recently launched a Section 201 safeguard investigation on imports of crystalline silicon photovoltaic (CSPV) cells and modules, according to documents available on an ITC database. Requested by Suniva in April (see 1704260045), the investigation will determine whether to impose additional duties and minimum price floors on solar cells and modules imported from any country. SolarWorld, another U.S. producer of solar cells, subsequently joined the investigation as a petitioner, it said in an April 25 press release (here).
Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., introduced a bill on May 25 that would qualify footwear classified in over 20 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) subheadings in Chapter 64 for Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) treatment for the first time in the program’s more than 40-year history. The legislation, H.R. 2735, would also require the executive branch to conduct six annual studies of the state of the U.S. footwear industry, focusing on yearly changes to categories of domestic footwear. The bill would require the International Trade Commission to inform that report by examining current production of "like or directly competitive articles" and to identify any articles for which domestic production is likely to occur within the next year at a commercial level.
The Commerce Department issued Federal Register notices on its recently initiated antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on 100- to 150-seat large civil aircraft from Canada (A-122-859/C-122-860). The agency will determine whether imports of Canadian large civil aircraft are being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value or are illegally subsidized. The CV duty investigation covers entries Jan. 1, 2016, through Dec. 31, 2016. The AD duty investigation covers entries April 1, 2016, through March 31, 2017.
The interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is seeking comments to inform the development of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s objectives for the anticipated NAFTA renegotiation, the TPSC announced (here). Specifically, the TPSC is asking for information on customs and trade facilitation issues that should be addressed, trade remedy issues, possible rules of origin changes, potential impacts of removal of tariffs and other trade barriers to U.S. producers and consumers and treatment of particular goods on the Harmonized Tariff Schedule and other issues. USTR will accept comments through June 12, and a hearing on proposed renegotiation topics will take place on June 27 at 9 a.m. at the International Trade Commission.
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) is seeking comments on a request by the government of Bahrain to revise U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement rules of origin for certain knit and woven apparel, the committee said (here). Bahrain submitted a petition on March 23 to add five knit fabrics in Harmonized Tariff Schedule chapter 61, eight woven fabrics in HTS chapter 62, and 22 fabrics classified in HTS headings 6203 and 6204 to the FTA’s short supply list. CITA will accept comments through July 21 on whether the U.S. domestic industry can supply the fabrics in commercial quantities in a timely manner.
The Commerce Department issued Federal Register notices on its recently initiated antidumping duty investigations on cold-drawn mechanical tubing of carbon and alloy steel from Germany (A-428-845), India (A-533-873), Italy (A-475-838), South Korea (A-580-892), China (A-570-058) and Switzerland (A-441-801), and its recently initiated countervailing duty investigations on cold-drawn mechanical tubing from India (C-533-874) and China (C-570-059).