On September 25th, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced that the U.S. and Japan reached an agreement that will reduce agricultural and industrial tariffs. This agreement also includes a set of provisions that address digital trade barriers between the two countries. U.S. officials have agreed to eliminate or reduce tariffs on 42 HTS codes of […]

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released three additional sets of product exclusions from Section 301 Chinese tariffs. The USTR notice features 3 separate announcements, each containing the specially prepared HTS subheadings partially excluded from Section 301 List 1, 2, and 3 tariffs. The List 1 notice contains 310 HTS subheadings partially excluded from […]

On September 17, 2020, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) issued two sets of exclusion extensions for List 1 and 2 products that are currently set to expire on September 20. The first notice granted extensions to 62 out of the 310 product exclusions from List 1. Click here to view the full list of […]

Per our August Shap Talk article, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) previously announced fee increases adjusted to reflect inflation effective October 1, 2020. These fees will directly affect your Customs entry. For example, the Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF) limitation for formal entries (class code 499) will increase from $26.79 to $27.23 and the maximum […]

US imports from Asia in August increased 34 percent from June, driven by a high demand for e-commerce fulfillment and personal protective equipment (PPE). Last month alone, imports from China were up 32 percent. The combination of import fluctuations and blank sailings has had an uneven impact on supply chains at US ports and inland […]

On September 15, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced it will revoke the 10% tariff on imports of non-alloyed, unwrought aluminum products from Canada that originally went into effect on August 16. The decision to rescind Section 232 duties was made in light of an expected 50% decline in average monthly US […]

A new lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) targeting the legality of List 3 and List 4 tariffs on Chinese goods pursuant to Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that List 3 and List 4 tariffs were imposed untimely and were created to […]

On September 11th, President Trump announced that the U.S. will postpone the planned tariff rate increase from 25% to 30% on Section 301 List 1, 2 and 3 Chinese products, originally scheduled to take effect October 1st, until October 15th. Trump’s ‘goodwill gesture’, in honor of the People’s Republic of China’s 70th anniversary on October […]

Per our previous Shap Flashes, on Sunday, June 30th, 2019, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced the implementation of an electronic portal to aid in the process of filing Section 301 List 3 tariff exclusions. While the portal has been active for a couple months now, please note that all Section 301 […]

Scope rulings and anti-circumvention inquiries are two areas targeted for significant changes in the proposed Department of Commerce (DOC) regulations. In one critical change, an affirmative scope or anti-circumvention inquiry decision would apply retroactively to all unliquidated entries. The implementation would revert to the original date for suspension of liquidation under the AD/CVD order, usually […]

With a 19% surge in imports from China to US and a 19% fall in exports to China in June-July, we are experiencing a situation that is growing with no sign of immediate relief. As a result of the early summer surges, an alarming trend in equipment shortages that started in August is expected to […]

On September 3rd, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released an official notice seeking public comments on Section 301 List 1, 2 and 3 tariff rate increases (from 25% to 30%) scheduled to take effect October 1st. The USTR has asked for public comments to include: Details as to whether the tariff increases […]

As a reminder, most of the exclusions for List 4A goods are set to expire on September 1, 2020. On August 28, 2020, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced that only eighty-seven (87) products from all eight rounds of List 4A exclusions published thus far will be granted extensions. Click here to […]

Per our Shap Flash on August 24th, President Trump announced via Twitter that List 4A and 4B tariffs will be increased from 10% to 15% in response to the imposition of retaliatory tariffs on $75 billion worth of U.S. products exported to China. On August 30th, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) will […]

In the latest escalation in the China-U.S. trade war, President Trump elicited a series of tweets on Friday, August 23rd stating that Section 301 tariffs imposed on Chinese products would increase across the board.

Earlier this month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released a Federal Register notice advising importers that products made in Hong Kong will need to be marked as made in China beginning September 25, 2020. However, CBP has just released another notice revealing their decision to extend the transition period for compliance through November 9, […]

In the Federal Register Notice dated August 2, 2019, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced fee increases adjusted to reflect inflation effective October 1, 2019. These fees will directly affect your Customs entry. For instance, the Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF) limitation for formal entries (class code 499) will increase from $26.22 to $26.79 […]

On August 15th, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced that additional 10% tariffs (later raised to 15%) on Section 301 List 4A and 4B Chinese goods would be applied based on the entry date—which is the date the cargo arrives in U.S Customs territory or the date the Customs entry is filed, whichever is later. […]

As you are already aware, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) imposed Section 301 tariffs on $7.5 billion worth of European goods in response to the European Union’s (EU) subsidization of Airbus in October 2019. Although the USTR already modified the list of EU products subject to additional tariffs earlier this year, the […]

Recent political turmoil and massive protests in Hong Kong have led to an unofficial labor strike today, Monday August 5, 2019. At this time, over 170 flights to Hong Kong have already been rerouted and/or cancelled, train stations are closed, and other major transportation routes have been blocked by the congestion. Most offices in Hong […]