U.S. importers sourced 5.81 million Chinese smartphones in February, said Census Bureau data accessed Sunday through the International Trade Commission’s DataWeb tool. It was the lowest monthly volume from China since customs began tracking smartphone imports in 2007, and vivid evidence of COVID-19's upending of the Chinese supply chain after the world’s first outbreak in Hubei province in January.
The recently announced exclusions from the Section 301 tariffs on the third list of products from China (see 2003230043) seem to be unintentionally limited by the statutory liquidation timelines, lawyer Chris Kane said in a March 31 LinkedIn post. While the notice allows for retroactive applicability to Sept. 18, 2018, when those tariffs took effect, it's not clear that importers have any way to be fully refunded for that period, he said. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative published the official notice with numerous tranche three exclusions on March 26 (see 2003230043).
General Motors, noting that its financial resources are strained with a shutdown of vehicle manufacturing, asked the U.S. trade representative last week to lift Section 301 tariffs on eight components it will be importing from China to make ventilators in Kokomo, Indiana. The letter was posted at regulations.gov on April 2.
President Donald Trump doesn’t oppose deferring tariffs on Chinese imports for 90 days during the pandemic, he told a White House briefing Tuesday. “I’m going to have to approve the plan,” said Trump. “I approve everything. And they haven’t presented it to me.” He sees “nothing wrong” with deferring the levies. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, wrote Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer Friday to back a 90-day delay because “the response to COVID-19 has now added another layer of pressure as businesses are facing severe cash flow problems” (see 2003300012). The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also came out Wednesday in support of “tariff relief,” saying it would “provide some welcome breathing room for American businesses and consumers.”
The Trump administration should “lift” the Section 301 tariffs on more than 60 categories of “healthcare-essential” information and communications technology (ICT) products to help the U.S. fight the COVID-19 pandemic, urged the Information Technology Industry Council. “Relief” from the tariffs “would directly contribute to the U.S. economic and public health response to the current crisis,” ITI said. “A range of ICT products and components are at the heart of detecting and treating illnesses, recording and tracking vital signs, and conducting tests,” it said. Processors, controllers and integrated circuits, for example, imported from China under the 8542.31.00 tariff code are “foundational to a variety of medical equipment,” it said. List 2 tariffs on 8542.31.00 goods were imposed in August 2018 and are still in effect at 25%. Lifting the tariffs “will help to alleviate the strain on the healthcare system in the midst of dealing with COVID-19,” ITI said. “Tariffs act as direct impediments to U.S. governments, consumers and businesses, and we would encourage the removal of tariffs by any means to increase confidence in the COVID-19 response and support economic recovery.” While others, including Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have urged the administration to defer the tariffs for 90 days, ITI is asking for the duties’ outright removal.
President Donald Trump doesn’t oppose deferring tariffs on Chinese imports for 90 days during the pandemic, he told a White House briefing Tuesday. “I’m going to have to approve the plan,” said Trump. “I approve everything. And they haven’t presented it to me.” He sees “nothing wrong” with deferring the levies. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, wrote Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer Friday to back a 90-day delay because “the response to COVID-19 has now added another layer of pressure as businesses are facing severe cash flow problems” (see 2003300012). The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also came out Wednesday in support of “tariff relief,” saying it would “provide some welcome breathing room for American businesses and consumers.”
President Donald Trump doesn’t oppose deferring tariffs on Chinese imports for 90 days during the pandemic, he told a White House briefing Tuesday. “I’m going to have to approve the plan,” said Trump. “I approve everything. And they haven’t presented it to me.” He sees “nothing wrong” with deferring the levies. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, wrote Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer Friday to back a 90-day delay because “the response to COVID-19 has now added another layer of pressure as businesses are facing severe cash flow problems” (see 2003300012). The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also came out Wednesday in support of “tariff relief,” saying it would “provide some welcome breathing room for American businesses and consumers.”
As importers wait to hear whether duties can be deferred for 90 days after goods enter the U.S., voices for and against the proposal are speaking out. Reports have said that the deferral would be on most favored nation (MFN), but not sections 301, 232 or 201 actions. President Donald Trump has been coy about whether he will support such a move, or when (see 2004010047).
A domestic producer coalition filed petitions on March 31 with the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission requesting new antidumping duty investigations on mattresses from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Serbia, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam, and new countervailing duties on mattresses from China. Commerce will now decide whether to begin AD/CVD investigations on mattresses from these countries that could eventually result in the assessment of AD/CV duties.
CBP will add on April 2 the ability in ACE for importers to file entries with recently excluded goods in the fourth tranche of Section 301 tariffs, it said in a CSMS message. The fourth tranche product exclusions apply retroactively to Sept. 1, 2019, and will remain in effect until Sept. 1, 2020. (see 2003260030)