Effective May 10, 2019 importations of merchandise covered under the Section 301 third tranche, manufactured in China and entered into the U.S., are subject to the increase in additional duties from 10 to 25%. However, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection updated guidance, the increased duties of 25% will not apply to goods a)
On Sunday, May 5, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that the current 10% tariff on $200 billion in Chinese imports to the United States would increase to 25% on Friday, May 10. On Monday, United States Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer confirmed the administration’s plans, saying the tariff rate increase would take effect at 12:01
Last week, China amended a draft of a proposed foreign-investment law in an effort to address global concern over forced technology transfers. The new law, which bans officials from divulging corporate secrets, was approved by the Chinese legislature on Friday. The amendments were made shortly before the law was put to a vote and are
On March 5, 2019, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (“USTR”) published a notice in the Federal Register officially postponing the date on which the rate of Section 301 duties on $200 billion of Chinese goods (i.e., List 3 items) will increase from 10% to 25%.
USTR’s notice follows President Trump’s announcement of
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He will visit Washington on January 30-31, in connection with further discussions to resolve the ongoing trade dispute between the U.S. and China.
Vice Premier Liu is expected to meet with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Liu is a key economic advisor to President Xi
One of the potential consequences of the U.S.-China trade dispute is that more companies may consider supply chain sourcing from third countries such as Mexico. This may include direct sourcing in the third country or the processing of Chinese components into finished products in third countries prior to entry into the United States. There are a number of issues to consider where the processing of Chinese products subject to section 301 duties occurs in third countries prior to importation in the United States.
For example, the imported Chinese components processed in a third country may nonetheless be subject to section 301 duties when imported into the United States unless they are “substantially transformed” into a new and different article of commerce in the third country. This is a product-specific analysis and involves a review of components and production steps. Recently, the Court of International Trade ruled that mere assembly of foreign component parts does not constitute substantial transformation. (Energizer Battery Inc. v. United States, 190 F. Supp. 3d 1308 (Ct. Intl. Trade 2016). The decision noted that, “whether there has been a substantial transformation depends on whether there has been a change in the name or use of the components.” The court focused not on whether “the components as imported have the form and function of the final product” but rather “whether the components have a pre-determined end-use at the time of importation.” The court suggested that the imported parts would need to undergo “further work” beyond mere assembly to be considered substantially transformed.
As we previously reported, the United States, Canada, and Mexico have reached agreement on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (“USMCA”) to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”), which has governed trade between the three countries since 1994. Article 32.10 of the agreement requires each country to notify the others of any intention to negotiate a free trade agreement with a “non-market country.” The provision defines a “non-market country,” as any country that: (1) one or more USMCA member countries has determined to be a non-market economy for purposes of the USMCA member country’s trade remedy laws; and (2) none of the USMCA member countries has a free trade agreement with.
Last year, as a result of the expiration of certain language in China’s World Trade Organization (“WTO”) Protocol, the U.S. Department of Commerce conducted a review of its designation of China as a non-market economy country for purposes of the U.S. antidumping laws. The Department announced the results of its review of China’s status on October 26, 2017, concluding that China continued to be a non-market economy country. Further, none of the USMCA member countries have a free trade agreement with China. As a result, China would be considered a “non-market country” for purposes of the USMCA.
Article 32.10 requires a USMCA member country seeking to negotiate a free trade agreement with China, or any other “non-market country” to:
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The Wall Street Journal reported that the industry for recycled products is collapsing. Until late last year, China was the largest importer of U.S. recyclables. At the beginning of 2018, in a decision that many attribute to trade tensions between the U.S. and China, China imposed more stringent quality standards on imports of recycled material and ceased importing U.S. mixed paper and mixed plastic of any quality until June 4, 2018. As a result of the harsher standards, the prices of scrap paper and plastic have plummeted. While other countries, such as India and Vietnam, have imported some of the waste that would have been sent to China, there remain large amounts of unsold recycled material.
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The grain industry is reacting to the “temporary” Chinese preliminary antidumping duty of 178.6% on sorghum shipped from the United States, announced April 17, 2018. Reuters reported that Chinese importers of sorghum, a grain used to create ethanol and feed livestock, have asked the government in Beijing to waive the duties. After the duties were announced, nearly two dozen ships carrying American sorghum changed course, opting instead for ports in Japan, Saudi Arabia, the Canary Islands, and the Philippines to mitigate losses. China is now importing relatively large quantities of barley as livestock feed and the Chinese importers who did receive sorghum shipments are selling that grain at an extreme discount in an effort to avoid the duty deposit.
The investigation into U.S. sorghum, initiated in February, found that U.S. exports to China increased over the last several years while prices fell and harmed China’s domestic industry. The National Sorghum Producers, an industry group in the United States, insists that the product is neither dumped nor injurious to the Chinese industry. The National Sorghum Producers also state that they fully cooperated with the Chinese government in the course of the short investigation, at the end of which adverse facts available were applied to result in the high margin.
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On April 13, 2018, the Treasury Department released its biannual report to Congress on the Macroeconomic and Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the United States, which declined to formally label China a currency manipulator under the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 (the “1988 Act”).
This is the third such report issued since President Trump took office. Like the prior Trump Administration foreign exchange policy reports (April 2017 and October 2017), the latest report also concluded that China’s bilateral trade surplus, material current account surprise, and intervention in the foreign exchange market, together, do not require “enhanced analysis” and “enhanced bilateral engagement” under the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (the “2015 Act”).
The latest report, however, continues to place China on Treasury’s foreign exchange “Monitoring List” under the 2015 Act. The report lists China alongside Japan, Korea, Germany, Switzerland, and India as “major trading partners that merit close attention to their currency practices and macroeconomic policies.” According to the report,
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