Correction: Steel and steel derivatives from Turkey will for the time being only face 25% Section 232 tariffs, unchanged from before President Donald Trump’s Feb. 11 proclamation upping tariffs for some countries and a new list of derivative products (see 2502140025 and 2502140066).
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.
President Donald Trump's plan to remove the de minimis exemption from goods made in China and Hong Kong may just be the start of a bigger push to remove that exemption from other countries, according to trade experts speaking during a Feb. 13 webinar sponsored by ShipHero, a warehouse management system provider for e-commerce and third-party logistics firms.
The White House announced this week it has selected Joseph Barloon to be its ambassador to the World Trade Organization, a role of a deputy U.S. trade representative. Barloon served as general counsel to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative 2019-2020, during the first Trump administration. He also was nominated to be a judge at the Court of International Trade by President Donald Trump in that first term but wasn't confirmed (see 2102050032).
The International Trade Commission published notices in the Feb. 14 Federal Register on the following antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) injury, Section 337 patent or other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will be in another ITT article):
The International Trade Commission seeks comments by Feb. 26 on a Section 337 complaint alleging that imports of glow fish tape systems, safety helmet systems, and their components infringe patents held by Klein Tools Inc., it said in a notice to be published Feb. 18. According to the complaint, the complainant is seeking a limited exclusion order and cease and desist orders against Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation to bar from entry "certain glow fish tape systems, safety helmet systems, and components thereof" that violate the complainant's patents. The complaint describes fish tape as "a spool of tape that can be used to guide wires through enclosed spaces such as walls or conduits," and the helmets as "safety helmets (a category that includes hard hats) with an outer shell including a brim and front and rear receptacles, and accessories, such as headlamps, safety lamps, cooling fans, sun visors, face shields, eye visors, and batteries that are designed to releasably mount onto at least a portion of each of the front and rear receptacles."
The International Trade Commission is beginning a Section 337 investigation on photovoltaic trunk bus cable assemblies (ITC Inv. No. 337-TA-1438) after receiving allegations filed by Shoals Technologies Group that U.S. company Voltage and Chinese company Ningbo Voltage Smart Production are importing products that infringe its patents, the agency said in a notice to be published Feb. 18.
The Commerce Department published notices in the Federal Register Feb. 14 on the following antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CVD rates, scope, affected firms or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):
The Commerce Department said it's rescinding the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on mattresses from Serbia (A-801-002) for the period of review May 1, 2023, through April 30, 2024, because there were no reviewable, suspended entries of subject merchandise from the last remaining company under review. As a result, no cash deposit rates will change, and the current cash deposit requirements will remain in effect until further notice. Commerce will instruct CBP to assess AD on all appropriate entries, at rates equal to the cash deposit of estimated AD required at the time of entry, or withdrawal from warehouse, for consumption, it said.
The Commerce Department said it's partially rescinding the administrative reviews of the antidumping duty order on certain frozen fish fillets from Vietnam (A-552-801) for the periods of review Aug. 1, 2022, through July 31, 2023, and Aug. 1, 2023, through July 31, 2024, with respect to one company included in the reviews -- Vinh Hoan Corporation -- which was removed from the antidumping duty order on certain frozen fish fillets from Vietnam in an action published Jan. 24. The partial revocation of the AD order to exclude Vinh Hoan is effective Aug. 1, 2021.