CBP will add the ability in ACE for importers to file entries with recently excluded goods in the fourth tranche of Section 301 tariffs on Aug. 20, it said in a CSMS message. The official Office of the U.S. Trade Representative notice for the exclusions was published Aug. 11 (see 2008060008). The exclusions are in subheading 9903.88.55. The exclusions are available for any product that meets the description in the Annex to USTR’s notice, regardless of whether the importer filed an exclusion request. The product exclusions apply retroactively to Sept. 1, 2019, the date the tariffs on the fourth list took effect, and remain in effect until Sept. 1, 2020. The CSMS message also includes a summary of Section 301 duties that shows information on each tranche of tariffs and granted product exclusions.
Cheeses from Greece and sweet biscuits from the United Kingdom will no longer be subject to Section 301 tariffs on products from the European Union beginning Sept. 1, while a range of fruit jams and purees from France and Germany will be newly covered by the tariffs on that date, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said in a notice released late Aug. 12.
Some “high tech” goods of Chinese origin sent to Mexico for minimal handling and then to the U.S. are eligible for USMCA tariff treatment, CBP said in an Aug. 7 ruling. Jose Fierro, an El Paso, Texas, customs broker, requested the ruling less than a week after USMCA entered into force July 1. The broker said that a client “has contracted with a Mexican maquiladora facility to provide certain logistical services” and inquired whether USMCA treatment would apply.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative released an updated list of goods from the European Union to be subject to Section 301 tariffs as part of the dispute settlement at the World Trade Organization over Airbus subsidies. The changes will take effect on Sept. 1, it said.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer should end the Section 301 tariffs on food and drink from the European Union, more than a dozen senators said in an Aug. 7 letter. “Hiked prices on cheese, wine, meat, fruit, olive oil and other food and beverages from the EU have caused an increased financial strain on families trying to put food on their tables and restaurants trying to keep their doors open during the economic crisis caused by the pandemic,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., in an Aug. 10 news release about the letter.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Aug. 3-9:
CBP “personnel from the Ports of Entry and Centers of Excellence and Expertise (Centers) are directed to neither issue marking notices, nor take further enforcement actions on goods produced in Hong Kong” until Sept. 25, the agency said in a CSMS message. CBP is allowing for a transition period for the new marking requirements on goods produced in Hong Kong, which will have to be marked as from China starting Sept. 25 (see 2008100027). “Centers should take measures to inform accounts of these new marking rules for Hong Kong set forth in the” July 14 presidential Executive Order on Hong Kong Normalization, it said. CBP still hasn't specifically addressed whether Hong Kong goods will be subject to the Section 301 tariffs on goods from China or other trade remedies.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories from Aug. 3-7 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
High demand for telework and remote-learning connectivity tools sent Q2 laptop and tablet imports soaring by triple digits from Q1, according to new Census Bureau data accessed Aug. 9 through the International Trade Commission’s DataWeb tool. Lockdown-induced TV import growth also was robust in the quarter, but intense commoditization was the story there, even in the largest screen sizes.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative plans to adjust two Section 301 tariff exclusions, it said in a pair of notices posted to the agency's website. The first notice amends an exclusion from the first list of Section 301 tariffs to change a weight description. The second revises an exclusion from the second list of the tariffs to delete a value description for digital clinical thermometers.