Taiwan is setting up task forces and a consultation hotline to assist Taiwanese companies overseas that may be affected by new tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs announced Feb. 4. The task forces will be set up in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Southeast Asia and South Asia to “provide real-time support” to Taiwanese businesses.
The European Commission is pushing for new import fees and customs controls on certain low-value e-commerce imports that it said are unsafe, counterfeit or don’t meet other EU product standards. The controls could target products from online marketplaces such as AliExpess, Amazon, Shein and Temu, the commission said, adding that those companies could be liable for the sale of unsafe products on their platforms.
The U.S. could use the False Claims Act to more aggressively combat tariff evasion, attorneys at Ropes & Gray said in a Feb. 3 alert. Companies should "carefully scrutinize their import policies and procedures to ensure they are adhering to all applicable laws," the firm said, adding that importers should ensure that they have "appropriate avenues" for internal and external parties to bring confidential reports to the company's attention.
The U.S. Postal Service suspended international inbound mail and packages from China and Hong Kong on Feb. 4 -- and then subsequently removed that suspension hours later.
Howard Lutnick, whose nomination advanced out of the Senate Commerce Committee Feb. 2 with a 16-12 vote, told senators from both parties that, despite the president's announcements that he would have "direct responsibilities over the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative," the scope of responsibilities for the USTR won't change, and his agency will coordinate with others working on trade policy.
Trade lawyers at Thompson Hine told clients and stakeholders that the old approaches to lobbying for North American trade don't work on the Trump administration. Don't try arguing that sourcing in Mexico makes your products more price competitive. Don't explain that the three countries' manufacturing supply chains are integrated. Don't tell them that 60% of the value of the Mexican car was in U.S. parts exported to the assembly plant. Don't try to argue that a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada will cause inflation. "They don't want to hear, 'It's going to cost more,' said Dan Ujczo, a senior counsel at the law firm. "'We have invested x amount of dollars, and here are the jobs in the United States,' that’s what they want to hear."
Moments after President Donald Trump’s 10% tariffs on all Chinese products took effect Feb. 4 (see 2502030034), China announced new tariffs and export controls against the U.S. and added two American companies to its so-called unreliable entity list, including one that it accused of adopting “discriminatory measures” when sourcing products from China's Xinjiang region.
House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee ranking member Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., declined to say if she'd join forces with colleagues who want to end the president's ability to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, but said, "I certainly think they're on the right track."
DOJ under President Donald Trump likely will pursue greater criminal enforcement of the most recent tariffs imposed on China to serve as a "general deterrent" and "punish instances of serious misconduct," attorneys at BakerHostetler said in a recent post. In response, foreign parties should be "mindful of their potential criminal exposure," partners Artie McConnell, Jennifer Solari and Michael Snarr said.
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