After trade negotiations between China and the United States faltered last week, China announced on May 13, 2019, that it would retaliate against the United States’ increase in Section 301 tariffs on certain Chinese products from 10 percent to 25 percent (see Trump and Trade Update of May 9, 2019). China’s Ministry of Finance announced that as of June 1, 2019, it will increase the tariffs on imports of U.S. goods valued at approximately $60 billion in response to the increase in tariffs implemented by the United States. While not adding goods to its list at this time, China will be increasing the tariffs it imposed on over 5,000 U.S. products on September 24, 2018 (see Trump and Trade Update of September 19, 2018). With the May 13 announcement, the Ministry of Finance indicated that on June 1, 2019, 2,493 U.S. products will now be subject to a 25 percent tariff; 1,078 products will be increased to a 20 percent tariff; and 974 products will be subject to a 10 percent tariff. A 5 percent tariff will remain in place on 595 U.S. products. (Note: All of the linked documents related to the announcement by China’s Ministry of Finance are in Chinese. As soon as English translations become available, they will be posted.)
Continue Reading China Retaliates, United States Announces Additional Section 301 Tariffs as Trade Negotiations Falter
Section 301 Investigations
USTR Releases Fourth Batch of China Section 301 Product Exclusion Approvals
By Thompson Hine International Trade on
On the same day that the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) raised the Section 301 tariff rate to 25 percent on imports from China valued at $200 billion that had been subject to a 10 percent tariff rate since September 24, 2018, the USTR also announced its fourth batch of products to be…
Update on Shipments in Process: Increase of Section 301 Import Tariff on Third Tranche of Chinese Products from 10% to 25%
By Thompson Hine International Trade on
Since publication of yesterday’s update (see Trump Administration Increases Section 301 Import Tariff on Third Tranche of Chinese Products from 10% to 25%), questions have been raised as to whether the tariff increase affects shipments from China in process, or “on the water.” The USTR has indicated that products of China that are covered…
Trump Administration Increases Section 301 Import Tariff on Third Tranche of Chinese Products from 10% to 25%
By Thompson Hine International Trade on
Today, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) formally published a notice in the Federal Register confirming what President Donald Trump tweeted out last Sunday: U.S. imports of Chinese products, valued at $200 billion, that have been subject to a Section 301 10 percent tariff since September 24, 2018, will face a 25 percent…
Trump Tweets Additional Section 301 Tariffs on Chinese Products To Be Imposed May 10
By Thompson Hine International Trade on
Just days after it became publicly known that U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer was preparing to implement an exclusion request process for the third tranche of imported Chinese products valued at $200 billion and subject to a 10 percent tariff under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 (see Trump and Trade Update…
USTR Lighthizer Indicates Exclusion Process Will Begin for Chinese Products Subject to 10% Tariff
By Thompson Hine International Trade on
In February 2019, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer testified before the House Ways & Means Committee regarding U.S.-China trade issues (see Trump and Trade Update of February 28, 2019). During the hearing, Lighthizer testified that an exclusion request process would be instituted on the third tranche of imported Chinese products subject to a…
U.S. Trade Representative Releases Third List of Product Exclusions from Section 301 China Tariffs
By Thompson Hine International Trade on
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has released another list of products that have been granted exclusions from the Section 301 tariffs on imported goods from China, granting exemptions in response to 348 separate exclusion requests for products that meet 21 specially prepared product descriptions. The exclusions cover a wide range of products, including…
USTR Releases Second List of Product Exclusions from Section 301 China Tariffs
By Thompson Hine International Trade on
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative issued another list of product exclusions from Section 301 tariffs on imported goods from China, granting full or partial exemptions in response to 87 separate exclusion requests, according to a pre-publication copy of the notice. The exclusions cover a wide range of products, including, inter alia, certain…
U.S. Trade Representative Officially Confirms China Section 301 Duty Rates Will Remain at 10 Percent
By Thompson Hine International Trade on
In a Notice of Modification of Action published in the Federal Register on March 5, 2019, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) made official its earlier announcement (see Trump and Trade Update of March 1, 2019) that the Section 301 retaliatory tariff for the third tranche/list of products imported from China will…
U.S. Trade Representative Releases 2019 Trade Policy Agenda and 2018 Annual Report
By Thompson Hine International Trade on
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has released President Donald Trump’s 2019 Trade Policy Agenda and 2018 Annual Report, detailing how the Trump administration’s trade policies “are benefitting American workers and contributing to the strongest economy in decades.” Claiming that the Trump administration “inherited a significantly flawed trading system,” the report states…