Toyota does support the renegotiated NAFTA, a top executive said at a trade conference in Washington, even though it will require the company to change some of its sourcing to meet the new 75 percent autos rule of origin. Doug Murtha, vice president of corporate strategy and planning for Toyota's North American division, said that the addition of $3 billion in U.S investments were, "to some extent, changes we had to make for USMCA."

LED lighting and IoT products supplier Acuity Brands grew revenue by 3 percent in its Q2 ended Feb. 28, but it would have been higher if not for the “pull-forward” of orders in Q1 from customers trying to beat Acuity’s price increases from the Section 301 tariffs on Chinese components imports, said CEO Vern Nagel on a Wednesday earnings call. Acuity is “unable to determine the precise impact of the sales shift between quarters,” he said.

A U.S.-China trade deal is 90 percent “done,” but the fate of post-agreement Section 301 tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese imports remains unknown, Myron Brilliant, who heads international affairs for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, told reporters Tuesday. "We're getting into the end-game phase" with China, he said.

The U.S. continues to pursue “vigorous engagement” with China to “increase the benefits” that U.S. businesses, service providers and consumers “derive from trade and economic ties” with the Chinese, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said in its annual report on global foreign trade barriers (see 1904010045). China’s trade practices “in several specific areas,” especially forced technology transfer and the Made in China 2025 industrial program, continue to “cause particular concern” for U.S. “stakeholders,” USTR said.

Pro-trade Democrats said that given the barrier of Section 232 tariffs, the fact that Mexico has not yet passed labor law reform, and other concerns, it's premature to be talking about the timing of a vote in the House of Representatives to ratify the new NAFTA. The president of the New Democrats, as well as two other trade leaders in the pro-growth caucus, talked to reporters April 2 after meeting with Canada's U.S. Ambassador David MacNaughton at the Capitol.

International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for March 25-29 in case they were missed.

The U.S. continues to pursue “vigorous engagement” with China to “increase the benefits” that U.S. businesses, service providers and consumers “derive from trade and economic ties” with the Chinese, said an Office of U.S. Trade Representative report Friday on global foreign trade barriers. China’s trade practices “in several specific areas,” especially forced technology transfer and the Made in China 2025 industrial program, continue to “cause particular concern” for U.S. “stakeholders,” said the USTR.

Momentum is moving China and the U.S. toward a trade deal, Myron Brilliant, head of international affairs for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said while speaking with reporters April 2. "We're getting into the end game phase" with China, he said. Brilliant said the negotiations with the Chinese delegation that will begin April 3 will be critical to reaching a resolution at the end of April, as both sides desire. But Brilliant emphasized that the business community is more interested in a comprehensive, durable deal that resolves long-standing complaints on discrimination against foreign companies operating in China and subsidies for Chinese firms than in reaching a quick deal.

The International Trade Commission recently posted Revisions 1 and 2 to the 2019 Harmonized Tariff Schedule. According to its change record, Revision 1 adds new note 20(i) to subchapter III of Chapter 99 to implement the latest set of Section 301 exemptions announced by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (see 1903210048). New HTS subheading 9903.88.06 is added for products that benefit from the new set of exclusions. Also, General Statistical Note 4(d) is amended to add unit of quantity abbreviation “A” for amperes, and remove the abbreviation “gr cntnrs” for gross containers. Revision 2 adds a new section to the rules of origin under the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement in General Note 27 for goods of chapter 62, as announced by USTR on March 22 (see 1903210042). That change, the only in the now-current Revision 2 edition of the HTS, takes effect April 1.

A bill introduced this week by two Democrats that would give Congress some say on Section 301 tariffs (see 1903280054) was endorsed by Freedom Partners March 29. The pro-business group's executive vice president, Nathan Nascimento, said: "This bill is another signal that there is growing momentum for Congress reclaiming its authority over tariffs. Americans pay enough in taxes as it is without the executive branch imposing new levies unilaterally.”