CBP has assessed about $123.5 billion in duties under the major trade remedies started during the Trump administration, as of Oct. 7, according to CBP's trade statistics page. That includes $108 billion in duties from the Section 301 tariffs on goods from China, and $1.1 billion in Section 301 tariffs on goods from the European Union. CBP also has assessed about $8.8 billion under the Section 232 tariffs on steel and $2.7 billion under tariffs on aluminum. The Section 201 trade remedies on washing machines and washing machine parts account for about $277 million and the solar cells tariffs account for $2.7 billion in assessed tariffs.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative issued a request for comments on the possible reinstatement of certain exclusions in the Section 301 investigation of China’s acts, policies and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property and innovation. The notice, which reiterates previously published details about where and when to petition, will be published in the Federal Register Oct. 8. Comments may be submitted in writing online starting Oct. 12, and must be submitted no later than Dec. 1 to be assured of consideration.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Sept. 27 - Oct. 3:
Two Chinese scholars specializing in international trade said they found U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai's Oct. 4 speech (see 2110040008) encouraging, even though she criticized Chinese adherence to market principles and the effect that has on companies around the world.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from Sept. 27 - Oct. 1 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is seeking comments on whether it should reinstate hundreds of Section 301 product exclusions that expired either late last year or early this year. The public docket at https://comments.USTR.gov will open Oct. 12, and parties can submit comments until Dec. 1. The agency is asking that commenters not only weigh in on specific products, but also on how long the exclusions should last.
The rollout of the new China trade policy looks a lot like the old China policy, with a new chance at Section 301 exclusions and all the tariffs remaining for now. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai suggested during the speech on the results of the China policy review that she doesn't have much hope for getting more structural reform that the phase one China agreement did not secure.
The office of the U.S. Trade Representative plans to restart a Section 301 tariff exclusions process, and has no immediate plans to remove any of the Section 301 tariff targets now that its comprehensive China review is over. However, a government official who spoke on background during an Oct. 3 call with reporters said, "We also want to make sure to align existing tariffs to those [Biden-Harris administration] priorities."
CBP created Harmonized System Update (HSU) 2109 on Sept. 29, containing 477 Automated Broker Interface records and 99 Harmonized Tariff Schedule records, it said in a CSMS message. The update reflects the extended exclusion from Section 301 tariffs on China of headings that cover goods used in treating COVID-19 (see 2109270044). Those headings -- 9903.88.62, 9903.88.63, 9903.88.64 and 9903.88.65 -- will now expire Nov. 14. CBP also issued a guidance on the subject.
A Section 301 investigation into illegal timber trade in Vietnam will result in no tariffs on Vietnamese goods, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said Oct. 1. Many stakeholders argued against a punitive approach on the issue (see 2011160027), including groups that fight the harvest of rare wood, such as the Sustainable Furnishings Council and the Environmental Investigation Agency.