The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Nov. 8-14:
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from Nov. 8-12 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, acknowledging that removing Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods would make some difference in inflation, didn't directly answer a question about whether they should stay, but said that U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai is "revisiting the phase one trade deal and recognizing requests to reduce tariffs in some areas." During a "Face the Nation" appearance Nov. 14, Yellen was also asked what the Biden administration could do to unclog the supply chain. "We have been talking with the operators of ports in Los Angeles, in Long Beach, in Savannah, trying to understand why there are such backlogs of ships waiting to off-load their goods."
The three-judge panel at the U.S. Court of International Trade presiding over the Section 301 litigation scheduled oral argument in the HMTX Industries-Jasco Products sample case for Feb. 1, 2022, at 10 a.m. in the court's Ceremonial Courtroom in New York, an order entered Nov. 12 in master case docket 21-cv-52 said. Chief Judge Mark Barnett had asked lawyers from both sides at a virtual status conference Nov.10 to email the court by Nov. 12 about schedule conflicts they had in January and February.
The former minister counselor for trade affairs in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing told an audience that in the last few years, Chinese government officials "feel like they've outflanked us on the trade front." James Green, who was speaking on a Flexport webinar on the future of U.S.-China trade policy, said that officials were pleasantly surprised that the tariffs on most exports to the U.S. did not hurt their economy more. And, he said, between sealing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and applying to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership, they also feel like they have other options for exporting when things with the U.S. sour.
Correction: The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will extend the expiration date for 81 of 99 previously granted Section 301 tariff exclusions for six months (see 2111100028). The expiration dates for the other exclusions will be extended 16 days to Nov. 30.
The Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated Nov. 9. The following headquarters rulings were modified recently, according to CBP:
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will extend most of the exclusions from Section 301 China tariffs on goods used to treat COVID-19 for six months, it said in a notice posted on the agency's website. For the 81 exclusions being extended, the new expiration date is May 31, 2022. All the exclusions were slated to expire Nov. 14, but USTR is allowing a "transition period" and that expiration date will be Nov. 30, it said.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will extend the exclusions from Section 301 China tariffs on goods used to treat COVID-19 for six months, it said in a notice posted on the agency's website. The exclusions were set to expire Nov. 30, but USTR said it will extend the 99 product exclusions to May 31.
Correction: The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will extend the expiration date for 81 of 99 previously granted Section 301 tariff exclusions for six months to May 31, it said in a notice posted on the agency's website. All the exclusions were slated to expire Nov. 14, but USTR is allowing a "transition period" and the exclusions not being extended will expire Nov. 30, it said.