Early Friday, President Trump officially announced that the United States would impose tariffs of $50 billion on Chinese goods, in retaliation against China for intellectual property theft. In April, the White House announced the planned tariffs and released a list of possible goods subjected, but had a deadline until today, June 15th, to unveil a […]

The International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance reached a US East and Gulf Coast ports tentative labor agreement Wednesday, June 6th, after 16 long months of negotiations. The tentative deal reached by dockworkers and port operators is a six-year master contract at East and Gulf Coast ports, ensuring labor peace until 2024. […]

At Shapiro we value your patronage and take the privacy of your data seriously. It is our goal to be as open and transparent as possible with you about the personal data we collect, how it is used, and with whom it is shared. To that end, we’ve updated our Privacy Policy to make sure […]

The 18th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is taking place in Qingdao on June 9th-10th . To ensure a successful summit, safety procedures are being put into place well in advance, causing closures and inconveniences to customers and shipments. From May 30th to either June 11th or 13th, the Chinese Government is conducting […]

President Trump has announced that tariffs imposed on three of the U.S.’s biggest trading partners will go into effect by the end of the day, Thursday, May 31st. Earlier this year, Trump announced a 25% tariff on steel and 10% on aluminum imports for the European Union, Canada, and Mexico, but agreed to give an […]

On June 1st, 2018, China Customs launched a new advanced manifest effort for imports and exports to expedite clearance for both air and ocean shipments. The new manifest process requires electronic manifest submission 24 hours prior to loading at the port of export, which must accurately and completely reflect the goods under the bill of […]

On Tuesday, May 29th, the White House announced that the Trump administration will go forward with a 25% tariff on $50 billion worth of products coming from China. This comes just 10 days after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced a hold on Section 301 tariffs to delay a possible trade war with China and allow […]

The Brazilian Government and truckers in Brazil still have not reached an agreement to end the strike, continuing into day 5 of no truck drivers. The Brazilian Association of Trucking, which represents about 700,00 drivers, organized the strike and rejected the deal late Thursday, causing one of the worst strikes in country history and affecting […]

On March 19, 2018, the Department of Commerce (DOC) published in the Federal Register (FR) the process for parties to submit requests for exclusions from Presidential Proclamations 9704 and 9705 on Adjusting Imports of Steel and Aluminum into the United States under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. See 83 FR 12106. […]

As you are aware, earlier this year, the U.S. proposed new tariffs on $50 billion worth of products from China due to a Section 301 investigation.   On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that the proposed new tariffs on Chinese imports will be put on hold while the United States and China are in the […]

Congestion at several critical Asian ports is disrupting shipping service, with berthing delays of at least a week as ships are forced to wait at anchor. The ports of Bangkok, Chittagong, Kolkata, and Shanghai are reported to be most affected, with increased container volumes, poor infrastructure and in some cases, bad weather all contributing to […]

Imports of all steel and aluminum articles from Canada, Mexico, and the member countries of the EU shall remain exempt from the additional duty established until 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on June 1, 2018. Steel: Imports of all steel articles from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, and South Korea* shall be exempt from the additional duty […]

The renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), which was signed by President Trump in late March, went into effect April 22, 2018. Importers should continue to flag GSP-eligible importations as SPI “A” and expected to pay normal duty rates until duty payments subsided on April 22nd. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will […]

Two unions at the Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (CP), representing over 3,300 workers, have given 72-hour notice for a strike that would commence on April 21, 2018 at 12:01am EDT. The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference – Train & Engine (TCRC) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) comprised of engineers, conductors, signal and communication […]

Heavy fog across the North China region is causing many ocean carriers in Shanghai and Ningbo to reschedule or delay sailings for several days or even weeks. Dense fog has been reported in the region for the past two to three weeks, making it difficult for shipping lines to maintain schedules and port operations.  Some […]

The renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), which was signed by President Trump in late March, will go into effect April 22, 2018. CBP will begin issuing GSP refunds on qualified goods shortly after the effective date, but will not offer any interest payments. Refund requests must be submitted prior to September 19, […]

The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) was renewed in late March and CBP is giving importers the opportunity to receive refunds from overpayment of duties, taxes, and fees electronically via Automated Clearinghouse (ACH). If already signed up for ACH Refund, refunds will be automatically deposited into your bank account. If you are NOT signed up for […]

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released a proposed list of tariffs covering 1,300 Chinese products with a combined value of $50 billion. “Sectors subject to the proposed tariffs include industries such as aerospace, information and communication technology, robotics, and machinery,” said the USTR in a news release. The tariffs, a result of […]

President Trump has just signed the Omnibus bill, which passed through the House and Senate earlier today. As a result, the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) will be renewed and all applicable stakeholders will receive retroactive benefits within the next 90 days. Earlier today the President expressed his concerns over signing the bill and heavily […]

The proposed renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) through December 31, 2020 is outlined in the Omnibus Spending Bill, which was released on Wednesday, March 21st. The 2,000 page bill has passed in both the House and Senate and now needs to be signed by President Trump. Under the Omnibus bill, GSP renewal […]