The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has announced that it will continue to exclude Section 301 duties on imports of certain Chinese medical care products needed to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The current exclusions were set to expire on March 31, 2021 (see Update of December 23, 2020); however, with this
U.S. and EU Temporarily Suspend WTO Retaliatory Tariffs on Large Civilian Aircraft
On March 5, 2021, the United States and the European Union (EU) issued a joint statement announcing a suspension of World Trade Organization (WTO)-authorized retaliatory tariffs in the trade dispute involving government subsidies for large civilian aircraft. The statement notes the suspension “will cover all tariffs both on aircraft as well as on non-aircraft products,…
U.S. and UK Temporarily Suspend WTO Retaliatory Tariffs on Large Civilian Aircraft
On March 4, 2021, the United States and the United Kingdom released a joint statement announcing a suspension of World Trade Organization (WTO)-authorized retaliatory tariffs in the WTO’s longest-running trade dispute involving government subsidies for large civilian aircraft. The statement notes that the UK ceased applying retaliatory tariffs on January 1, 2021, and that the…
USTR Releases President Biden’s 2021 Trade Agenda and 2020 Annual Report
On March 1, 2021, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released President Joseph Biden’s 2021 Trade Agenda and 2020 Annual Report. Providing an overview of “a comprehensive trade policy in support of the administration’s effort to help the U.S. recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and build back better,” the report states…
USTR Issues Findings in Investigation of Vietnam’s Currency Valuation Practices
On January 15, 2021, barely two weeks after holding a public hearing into the matter and just over three months after initiating an investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) issued its findings regarding Vietnam’s currency valuation. USTR found that “Vietnam’s acts, policies, and…
USTR Releases Findings in Digital Services Taxes Investigations Involving Austria, Spain and the United Kingdom
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued findings in three more Section 301 investigations of Digital Service Taxes (DSTs) adopted by Austria, Spain and the United Kingdom. In the reports, the USTR found that each of the DSTs “discriminates against U.S. companies, is inconsistent with prevailing principles of international taxation, and burden…
USTR Releases Findings in Digital Services Taxes Investigations Involving India, Italy and Turkey
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued findings in its Section 301 investigations of Digital Service Taxes (DSTs) adopted by India, Italy and Turkey. In each report, the USTR found that the DSTs: (i) create “a significant new tax burden for U.S. companies, [and] taxes an unusually broad array of digital services”;…
USTR Announces Additional Tariffs in U.S.-EU WTO Aircraft Dispute
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced that it will add on January 12, 2021 “certain products of certain EU member States” to the list of products subject to additional duties in the ongoing World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute with the European Union (EU) over subsidies for large civil aircraft. In October 2019,…
In Section 301 Tariff Refund Litigation, the DOJ Files Motion for Case Management Procedures
On October 19, 2020, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a motion before the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) in the matter of HMTX Industries LLC, et al. v. United States of America, et al. asking that the CIT adopt case management procedures to administer not only this case but also the approximately 3,600…
U.S. and Brazilian Governments Update Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation
On October 19, 2020, the United States and Brazil agreed to an updated protocol for the 2011 Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation (ATEC) with three new annexes: Customs Administration and Trade Facilitation, Good Regulatory Practices, and Anticorruption. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said that the protocol “uses the existing ATEC to establish common standards…

