One day after the U.S. published a new set of semiconductor-related export controls aimed at China (see 2412020016), Beijing announced a ban on certain key critical minerals and other dual-use items being shipped to the U.S. for military uses.
The Commerce Department made preliminary affirmative antidumping duty determinations that imports of crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells, whether or not assembled into modules, from Cambodia (A-555-003), Malaysia (A-557-830), Thailand (A-549-851) and Vietnam (A-552-841) are being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value. AD suspension of liquidation and cash deposit requirements will generally take effect for entries on or after Dec. 4, the date that the preliminary determinations are scheduled to be published in the Federal Register, but Commerce is making the suspension of liquidation and AD cash deposits retroactive to approximately Sept. 5 for some Vietnamese and all Thai companies.
President-elect Donald Trump tweeted a threat on Nov. 30 that he had earlier made on the campaign trail -- that he will impose 100% tariffs on exports from countries who try to create a workaround to trading in dollars, the world's reserve currency.
The Commerce Department issued notices in the Federal Register on its recently initiated antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on overhead door counterbalance torsion springs from China and India (A-570-186/C-570-187, A-533-936/C-533-937). The CVD investigations cover entries for the calendar year 2023. The AD investigation on India covers entries Oct. 1, 2023, through Sept. 30, 2024, and the AD investigation on China covers entries April 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2024.
The former chief of staff to then-U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has been chosen for USTR in Donald Trump's second administration.
The exclusion process for Section 301 tariffs was understandable in one regard -- requests for goods linked to China's technology supremacy strategy known as Made in China 2025 were less likely to be successful.
A free-trade senator shrugged off President-elect Donald Trump's promise to put 25% tariffs on all Canadian and Mexican goods, Canadian politicians scurried to convince Trump it can satisfy his demands, and Mexico's president alternately scolded and offered cooperation to the president-elect.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
President-elect Donald Trump's Treasury Secretary nominee, hedge fund CEO Scott Bessent, has talked about tariffs as a way to "escalate to de-escalate," with the goal of "getting rid of all the tariffs."
Six Republican senators, including President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be secretary of state, Marco Rubio of Florida, reintroduced a bill that would prohibit the Biden administration from requiring that goods made in the West Bank be labeled as such, rather than labeled "Made in Israel." The senators, led by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., are concerned that labeling items as from the West Bank would help the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, which opposes the occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Golan Heights and Gaza. The BDS movement argues that those who support Palestinians' rights shouldn't buy goods from firms that either manufacture in those territories, such as Ahava, or allegedly support the Israeli army, like Sabra, oppress Arab citizens of Israel, like SodaStream, or provide technology for surveillance of Palestinians, like HP.