In a landmark ruling on August 16, 2023, the World Trade Organization (WTO) determined that the retaliatory tariffs imposed by China on U.S. imports in response to U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs were inconsistent with international trade rules. The decision marks a significant moment in the long-standing trade dispute between the two major economic powers.
Trade Remedies, Litigation & Enforcement
Federal Circuit Rules that CBP Violated Importer’s Due Process Rights in EAPA Case
On July 27, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a significant decision in a case involving the alleged evasion of antidumping duties assessed on pencils of Chinese origin by Royal Brush Manufacturing, Inc. (Royal Brush) under the Enforce and Protect Act of 2015 (EAPA). The EAPA is a statutory scheme…
Petitioner Seeks U.S. Supreme Court Review of Decision Allowing Section 232 Tariffs on Steel Derivatives
On July 21, 2023, PrimeSource Building Products, Inc. filed a Petition for a Writ of Certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court, after unsuccessfully seeking an en banc hearing before all of the judges at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. In that decision, a three-judge panel reversed a lower court decision and…
Department of Commerce Issues Proposed Modifications to Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Regulations
On May 9, 2023, the Department of Commerce (“Commerce”) published proposed rules (“Proposed Rules”) to amend certain areas in its antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) regulations to “enhance, improve, and strengthen its enforcement of trade remedies.” Interested parties may submit comments by July 10, 2023.
Commerce’s Proposed Rules cover 22 different topics that…
Plaintiffs File Notice of Appeal in China Section 301 Tariff Refund Litigation
On May 12, 2023, the plaintiff group in the China Section 301 tariff refund litigation, in response to the recently issued decision by the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) upholding those Section 301 tariffs, formally filed its Notice of Appeal. The appeal will be heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the…
Plaintiffs Seek Full Federal Circuit Rehearing of Decision Allowing Section 232 Tariffs on Steel Derivatives
On April 24, 2023, plaintiffs in an ongoing challenge at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit filed a Petition for Rehearing En Banc of their argument that former President Donald Trump improperly imposed additional Section 232 national security tariffs on derivatives of certain imported steel articles. In their petition for consideration by…
BIS Amends EAR to Explicitly Include Protection of Human Rights, Adds 11 Entities to Entity List
On March 28, 2023, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) amended the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to confirm that the foreign policy interest of protecting human rights worldwide is a basis for adding entities to the Entity List. Specifically, this Final Rule amends 15 C.F.R. § 744.11 of the EAR regarding…
U.S. Supreme Court Denies Petition Challenging Section 232 Steel Tariffs
On March 27, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition by USP Holdings, Inc. and related parties challenging the Trump administration’s Section 232 tariffs on steel imports. The steel importer petitioners had asked the Court to reverse aspects of a June 2022 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (and…
CIT Issues Decision Upholding USTR’s China Section 301 List 3 and List 4A Tariffs
On March 17, 2023, in the China Section 301 tariff relief litigation, the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) upheld in a major opinion the legality of the implementation of List 3 and List 4A tariffs by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on imports of Chinese products into the United States. In…
CBP Announces New BIS License Type Codes for China-Related Exports Involving Advanced Computing and Semiconductors
On March 15, 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that it has activated two new license codes for use in the Automated Export System (AES). These new codes are related to an Interim Final Rule published by the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) on October 13, 2022, that…

