The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative set deadlines and a hearing for its Trade Act Section 301 investigation into France's digital services tax (see 1907110033). Request to appear by noon Aug. 12 for the Aug. 19 hearing that starts at 9:30 a.m. that day, USTR said. The regulations.gov docket is USTR-2019-0009. Aug. 26 is when post-hearing submissions are due.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative set deadlines and a hearing for its Trade Act Section 301 investigation into France's digital services tax (see 1907110033). Request to appear by noon Aug. 12 for the Aug. 19 hearing that starts at 9:30 a.m. that day, USTR said. The regulations.gov docket is USTR-2019-0009. Aug. 26 is when post-hearing submissions are due.
There’s no question China “has engaged in unfair trade practices such as forced technology transfer and intellectual property theft,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., wrote to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer June 17, as posted July 16 in docket USTR-2019-0004. “The question is whether the broad-based tariffs imposed and proposed by the current administration are the right approach to addressing such issues,” Feinstein said. “They are not.” The Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports “threaten U.S. jobs and businesses, including so many of those in California that rely on international trade,” she said. “The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which handle nearly half of the container trade with China, have seen the flow of goods slowed due to the tariffs and the uncertainty surrounding them.” Feinstein has heard from “numerous” California companies “about the pain the tariffs are causing them,” she said. The tariffs are “disrupting their supply chains and raising their costs of doing business in ways that damage their competitiveness and in some cases, threaten their existence,” she said. The “primary impact” of the proposed List 3 tariffs “will be to damage our own citizens, businesses, and economy,” she said. “I urge you to pursue alternative approaches to address real trade issues with China.” Three rounds of 25 percent tariffs remain in effect on roughly $250 billion worth of Chinese imports. President Donald Trump last month delayed putting the threatened List 4 duties into effect on virtually all remaining Chinese goods as the U.S. and China try to restart talks toward a comprehensive trade deal (see 1906290001).
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative set deadlines and a hearing for its Trade Act Section 301 investigation into France's digital services tax (see 1907110033). Request to appear by noon Aug. 12 for the Aug. 19 hearing that starts at 9:30 a.m. that day, USTR said. The regulations.gov docket is USTR-2019-0009. Aug. 26 is when post-hearing submissions are due.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for July 8-12 in case they were missed.
Global Q2 shipments in the “traditional” PC market, including desktops, notebooks and workstations, increased 4.7 percent to 64.9 million units, reported IDC Thursday. The growth rate was “notably higher than expected as the easing of supply shortages combined with looming trade tensions to propel the market forward,” it said. “Supply for Intel's processors improved markedly during the quarter, allowing most PC vendors to fulfill old orders while also shipping a healthy supply of new PCs into the channels.” The threat of List 4 Section 301 tariffs on computer imports from China also “led some PC makers to ship a surplus of desktops and notebooks, thereby artificially propping up the PC market during the second quarter,” said IDC. Lenovo leapfrogged HP to take the market leadership position with 25.1 percent share to HP’s 23.7 percent, it said.
The country of origin for watches is largely based upon where the watch "movement" is produced, but the origin of watch bands and cases is determined by whether the assembly is completed in the same country where the movement was made, CBP said in a June 25 ruling. Seiko Watch of America, through Ernst & Young, asked CBP to rule on how the company should declare country of origin in four scenarios and whether Section 301 duties might apply. CBP found that only in one of the scenarios would the proposed fourth list of Section 301 tariffs not apply.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will begin a Section 301 investigation of France’s new digital services tax, which just passed the French parliament, USTR said: The 3 percent tax’s structure “as well as statements by officials suggest that France is unfairly targeting the tax at certain U.S.-based technology companies." A Federal Register notice will follow with instructions on how to comment on or testify, USTR said Wednesday. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and ranking member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., praised the investigation’s launch. “The United States would not need to pursue this path if other countries would abandon these unilateral actions and focus their energies on the multilateral process that is underway at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development,” they said. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, Information Technology Industry Council and Computer and Communications Industry Association welcomed the investigation, in statements through Thursday. French President Emmanuel Macron hadn't yet signed the bill, also passed Thursday.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will begin a Section 301 investigation of France’s new digital services tax, which just passed the French parliament, USTR said: The 3 percent tax’s structure “as well as statements by officials suggest that France is unfairly targeting the tax at certain U.S.-based technology companies." A Federal Register notice will follow with instructions on how to comment on or testify, USTR said Wednesday. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and ranking member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., praised the investigation’s launch. “The United States would not need to pursue this path if other countries would abandon these unilateral actions and focus their energies on the multilateral process that is underway at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development,” they said. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, Information Technology Industry Council and Computer and Communications Industry Association welcomed the investigation, in statements through Thursday. French President Emmanuel Macron hadn't yet signed the bill, also passed Thursday.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will begin a Section 301 investigation of France’s new digital services tax, which just passed the French parliament, USTR said: The 3 percent tax’s structure “as well as statements by officials suggest that France is unfairly targeting the tax at certain U.S.-based technology companies." A Federal Register notice will follow with instructions on how to comment on or testify, USTR said Wednesday. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and ranking member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., praised the investigation’s launch. “The United States would not need to pursue this path if other countries would abandon these unilateral actions and focus their energies on the multilateral process that is underway at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development,” they said. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, Information Technology Industry Council and Computer and Communications Industry Association welcomed the investigation, in statements through Thursday. French President Emmanuel Macron hadn't yet signed the bill, also passed Thursday.