The U.S. ambassador to the World Trade Organization published a blunt response to reform discussions, arguing that the underpinning of the WTO -- that all countries should receive the same tariff rate, unless there is a comprehensive free-trade agreement between them -- was naive, "and that era has passed."
Importers May File Protests to Wait Out Official CBP Section 232 Metal Content Guidance, Lawyer Says
Importers may consider filing protests on entries subject to Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs that are rate advanced under a new policy interpretation being put out by the base metals Center of Excellence and Expertise, customs lawyer Larry Friedman said in a blog post Dec. 15.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The Agriculture Department announced on Dec. 12 that Mexico had agreed to release water from the Rio Grande to Texas farmers. This irritant had caused President Donald Trump to threaten Dec. 8 to hike International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariffs on Mexico from 25% to 30% (see 2512090013). Those tariffs apply to goods that don't qualify under USMCA, and are not subject to Section 232 tariffs.
The Commerce Department will on Jan. 1 begin a two-week window for requests for new products to be included under Section 232 tariffs on auto parts, it said in a notice released Dec. 15. Inclusion requests will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. ET on Jan. 14, after which the agency will post the inclusion requests it receives for comment and begin a 60-day process to consider whether to grant the inclusions.
CBP’s base metals Center of Excellence and Expertise recently released new guidance on calculating steel, aluminum and copper content for Section 232 duty calculation purposes.
CBP has been tightening its enforcement on reporting of steel and aluminum content for Section 232 duty purposes, based on criteria that have yet to be made public in formal guidance, according to customs brokers and trade attorneys interviewed by International Trade Today.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer signaled that the Trump administration is preparing a broad overhaul of key parts of the USMCA, focusing on changing non-automobile rules of origin to incentivize U.S. production.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Former trade officials said the Trump administration's tariff policy in Asia is being tested by China’s concern over recently completed U.S. tariff arrangements with Malaysia and Cambodia, which could complicate the administration’s push to wrap up deals with Vietnam and Indonesia.