A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson in Beijing sidestepped questions Thursday about President Donald Trump’s remarks suggesting he might be willing to let the March 1 deadline “slide” for raising the 10 percent Section 301 tariffs to 25 percent on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports if U.S and China negotiators are close to reaching a comprehensive trade agreement (see 1902130040). Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer are in Beijing for the latest round of trade talks that began Thursday. “We all hope that a deal could be reached,” said the spokesperson. “At present, all we could do is ensure that the two delegations could concentrate on having a good round of consultation and work for a mutually accepted and mutually beneficial outcome, which is also to the benefit of the world.”

The mini-Omnibus bill that was signed by President Donald Trump Feb. 15 requires the creation of an exclusion process for the third tranche of Section 301 tariffs by March 17. The third tranche faces a lower tariff than the first two rounds -- 10 percent -- and because of that, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has not allowed importers of those items to apply for exclusions. The USTR has to report to the congressional appropriations committees, the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee, by that date on the status of that process. Before that date, USTR will need to consult with those committees "regarding the nature and timing of the exclusion process," Congress wrote. The same bill also dedicated new funding toward processing Section 232 exclusion requests (see 1902140027).

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson in Beijing sidestepped questions on Feb. 14 about President Donald Trump’s remarks suggesting he might be willing to let the March 1 deadline “slide” for raising the 10 percent Section 301 tariffs to 25 percent on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports if U.S and Chinese negotiators are close to reaching a comprehensive trade agreement. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer are in Beijing for the latest round of trade talks. “We all hope that a deal could be reached,” the spokesperson said. “At present all we could do is ensure that the two delegations could concentrate on having a good round of consultation and work for a mutually accepted and mutually beneficial outcome, which is also to the benefit of the world.”

President Donald Trump might not stick to a March 1 deadline for deciding whether to raise the 10 percent Section 301 tariffs on about $200 billion in China imports to 25 percent, he told reporters at the White House Tuesday. If the U.S. and China are "close to a deal" on comprehensive trade overhaul, "I could see myself letting that slide for a little while," said Trump. "But generally speaking, I'm not inclined to do that." Trump said he's comfortable keeping tariffs on Chinese goods if he doesn't get a real agreement, "not just a deal that cosmetically looks good for a year."

President Donald Trump might not stick to a March 1 deadline for deciding whether to raise the 10 percent Section 301 tariffs on about $200 billion in China imports to 25 percent, he told reporters at the White House Tuesday. If the U.S. and China are "close to a deal" on comprehensive trade overhaul, "I could see myself letting that slide for a little while," said Trump. "But generally speaking, I'm not inclined to do that." Trump said he's comfortable keeping tariffs on Chinese goods if he doesn't get a real agreement, "not just a deal that cosmetically looks good for a year."

CBP created Harmonized System Update (HSU) 1901 on Feb. 11, containing 397 Automated Broker Interface records and 89 harmonized tariff records, it said in a CSMS message. The update includes changes mandated by Presidential Proclamation 9834 (see 1812270038), as well as adjustments required by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative's announcement of new exemptions from Section 301 tariffs on China (see 1902110018). Modifications required by the verification of the 2019 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) are included as well.

Imports at major U.S. retail container ports are down from their peaks of last fall but remain at “higher-than-usual levels” as retailers try to beat a possible March 2 hike in the 10 percent Section 301 tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, said the National Retail Federation Monday. “With trade talks with China still unresolved, retailers appear to be bringing spring merchandise into the country early in case tariffs go up in March,” said NRF. “We are hopeful that the talks will succeed, but until the trade war is behind us, retailers need to do what they can to mitigate the higher prices that will inevitably come with tariffs.” Tariffs are scheduled to increase to 25 percent March 2 unless U.S.-China negotiations on a comprehensive trade deal are successful (see 1812140045). U.S. ports handled 1.97 million 20-foot-long cargo containers or their equivalents in December, the latest month for which data are available, said NRF. That was up by 8.8 percent from November and by 13.9 percent from December 2018, it said.

International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Feb. 4-8 in case they were missed.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative should defend U.S. interests against intellectual property threats in the EU, China and various countries, tech groups commented through Thursday night. USTR collected comments for its Special 301 report on international IP practices. Copyright safe harbors included in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and exceptions like fair use are critical, the Internet Association said, citing IP threats from the EU, China and others. Efforts to chip away at the safe harbor framework “threaten the ability of internet companies to expand globally by eliminating” copyright certainty, IA said. BSA|The Software Alliance cited “digital protectionism and isolationism.” Restrictions on “cross-border data transfers; coercive technology transfer; and discrimination against foreign companies, products, and technologies” are counter to U.S. interests, BSA said. The Computer & Communications Industry Association asked USTR to recognize that Europe is attempting to weaken liability protections and enact “copyright policies that will likely have significant negative consequences for the digital economy” like “snippet taxes.” Counterfeiting and piracy in China “remain at epidemic levels,” the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said. Ongoing trade negotiations offer opportunity for the U.S. and China to address IP protection and technology transfer issues, the chamber said. Theft and infringement in China continue to put the software industry at risk, ACT|The App Association said, recommending China remain on the priority watch list. Algeria, Argentina, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Russia and Ukraine also should remain on the list, ACT said. Public Citizen raised concerns about Malaysia, which hasn't been on the watch list since 2012.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative should defend U.S. interests against intellectual property threats in the EU, China and various countries, tech groups commented through Thursday night. USTR collected comments for its Special 301 report on international IP practices. Copyright safe harbors included in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and exceptions like fair use are critical, the Internet Association said, citing IP threats from the EU, China and others. Efforts to chip away at the safe harbor framework “threaten the ability of internet companies to expand globally by eliminating” copyright certainty, IA said. BSA|The Software Alliance cited “digital protectionism and isolationism.” Restrictions on “cross-border data transfers; coercive technology transfer; and discrimination against foreign companies, products, and technologies” are counter to U.S. interests, BSA said. The Computer & Communications Industry Association asked USTR to recognize that Europe is attempting to weaken liability protections and enact “copyright policies that will likely have significant negative consequences for the digital economy” like “snippet taxes.” Counterfeiting and piracy in China “remain at epidemic levels,” the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said. Ongoing trade negotiations offer opportunity for the U.S. and China to address IP protection and technology transfer issues, the chamber said. Theft and infringement in China continue to put the software industry at risk, ACT|The App Association said, recommending China remain on the priority watch list. Algeria, Argentina, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Russia and Ukraine also should remain on the list, ACT said. Public Citizen raised concerns about Malaysia, which hasn't been on the watch list since 2012.