The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative issued another set of product exclusions from the third group of Section 301 tariffs on goods from China. The new exclusions from the tariffs include "one 10-digit HTSUS subheading, which covers one exclusion request, and 176 specially prepared product descriptions, which cover 202 separate exclusion requests." according to the notice. The product exclusions apply retroactively to Sept. 24, 2018, the date the third set of tariffs took effect. The exclusions will remain in effect until Aug. 7, 2020.
The Cheese Importers Association of America is asking that shops and importers lobby their congressional representatives and ask that the tariffs paid on European cheeses in retaliation for Airbus subsidies be refunded, and that they be lifted for the rest of the year. The tariffs “will only serve to weaken the ability of restaurants, specialty food stores, food importers and distributors to make payroll and for American families to afford food and other essential items,” the organization said. While the organization is asking this be part of the COVID-19 stimulus package, it's not clear Congress has the authority to rescind the tariffs, which were levied under Section 301 by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
CBP created Harmonized System Update (HSU) 2003 on March 18, containing 8,453 Automated Broker Interface records and 1,413 Harmonized Tariff Schedule records, it said in a CSMS message. The update includes the increase to Section 301 tariffs on European Union aircraft and other changes related to the Boeing-Airbus dispute at the World Trade Organization (see 2002180040). The update also covers recent Section 301 tariff exclusions for medical goods on list 4A (see 2003060042 and 2003130010) and recently released Section 301 tariff exclusions for goods on the third list (see 2002190015).
The country of origin of sticky notes made from big rolls of paper that are cut in Taiwan is based on the origin of the rolls of paper, CBP said in a Feb. 18 ruling. The cutting of the paper and adding of glue is not considered to be a substantial transformation, the agency said. Staples requested its ruling through David Newman, a lawyer representing the company.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is requesting comments on whether the set of tariff exclusions on Chinese imports on Section 301 List 1 that are set to expire June 4 (see 1906030038) should last another year, it said in a notice. The agency will start accepting comments on the extensions on April 1. The comments are due by April 30, it said. Each exclusion will be evaluated independently. The focus of the evaluation will be whether, despite the first imposition of these additional duties in July 2018, the particular product remains available only from China. The companies are required to post a public rationale.
The Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated on March 16. The following headquarters rulings not involving carriers were modified on March 16, according to CBP:
The U.S. imported 3.03 million TVs from all countries in January, a 26.1% increase from December, but a 24% decline from January 2019, according to Census Bureau data accessed March 15 through the International Trade Commission’s DataWeb tool. January TV imports were worth $798.23 million in customs value, up 9.8% from December, but down 24.8% from the previous January. The average January TV import was worth $263.20, which was 12.6% cheaper than in December and virtually unchanged from January a year earlier.
CBP added on March 16 the ability in ACE for importers to file entries with recently excluded goods in the fourth tranche and third tranche of Section 301 tariffs, it said in a CSMS messages. The exclusions from the fourth group cover various medical supplies, while the tranche three exclusions include other products (see 2003130010). The fourth tranche product exclusions apply retroactively to Sept. 1, 2019, and will remain in effect until Sept. 1, 2020. The third tranche exclusions apply retroactively to Sept. 24, 2018, and will remain in effect until Aug. 7, 2020.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for March 9-13 in case they were missed.
Supply chain disruptions due to China's lockdown to contain the coronavirus pandemic may end up not being as relevant as the worldwide economy shudders and stalls. Kurt Tong, former consul general to Hong Kong and a business consultant with the Asia Group, told reporters March 16: “You can have supply chain shocks that are being masked by the fact that there’s no demand for the goods.” He said the abrupt reversal of economic activity means “shipments are going to come down.” Tong and others were speaking on a webinar about trade and the coronavirus.