The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative released a notice with instructions for making product exclusion requests for the second tranche of Section 301 tariffs that took effect Aug. 23. Granted requests will apply for a year following publication of the exclusion determination in the Federal Register and will be effective retroactively back to Aug. 23, the notice said. The exclusions requests are due by Dec. 18 and responses to the requests "are due 14 days after the request is posted in docket number USTR-2018-0032" on regulations.gov, USTR said. "Any replies to responses to an exclusion request are due the later of 7 days after the close of the 14 day response period, or 7 days after the posting of a response." The instructions are similar to the USTR's instructions for exclusion requests from the first batch of Section 301 tariffs (see 1807160013).

CBP posted a new "reference guide" to the harmonized tariff schedule subheadings currently covered by the Section 301 25 percent tariffs. The guide simply lists the eight-digit subheadings included in the two lists. The first list of 818 subheadings took effect July 6 (see 1807050033) and the second list of 279 subheadings took effect Aug. 23 (see 1808160049).

The Consumer Technology Association “will decide our best course of action if and when the President imposes retaliatory tariffs,” said CTA President Gary Shapiro when asked if the association will sue the Trump administration to block proposed Section 301 tariffs from taking effect. The trade group filed its “objections” to the third tranche of Trade Act Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports in Sept. 6 comments that also questioned the duties’ legality (see 1809070025).

Logitech joins hundreds of others opposing a third tranche of Trade Act Section 301 tariffs on connected devices imported from China under the 8471.60.90 and 8517.62.00 subheadings because they will cause “disproportionate” harm to American consumers and the U.S. economy, commented the company in docket USTR-2018-0026. If the Trump administration doesn't see fit to spare those goods from tariffs, Logitech wants the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to exempt tariffs on imported goods produced at “wholly foreign-owned enterprises” (WFOEs) in China, as Logitech's products are.

Importers will have to pay an additional 10 percent on about 5,700 8-digit tariff lines starting Sept. 24, President Donald Trump said on Sept. 17. "If China takes retaliatory action against our farmers or other industries, we will immediately pursue phase three, which is tariffs on approximately $267 billion of additional imports," said Trump in the statement.

A finalized list of coming Section 301 tariffs on China will be announced after the stock market closes, President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Sept. 17. "It will be a lot of money coming into the coffers of the United States of America," Trump said. "A lot of money coming in, but you’ll be seeing what we’re doing right after close of business today.". The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative proposed the third tranche of tariffs on about $200 billion worth of imports from China in July (see 1807100070).

The third tranche of Trade Act Section 301 tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports will take effect Sept. 24 at a duty rate of 10 percent, rising to 25 percent after Jan. 1, said President Donald Trump Monday evening. The administration will “immediately pursue” a fourth tranche of tariffs on $267 billion of additional imports if China retaliates against the third group, said Trump.

Element Electronics has worked “diligently” to source LCD panels and motherboards “from various countries throughout Asia but is only able to source them from China,” commented the TV maker in docket USTR-2018-0026 in perhaps its last opportunity to convince the Trump administration to spare the company Trade Act Section 301 tariffs on those components. Element said again it will be forced to close its Winnsboro, South Carolina, LCD TV assembly factory (see 1807200056) if the administration imposes tariffs on the LCD panels and motherboards it imports from China under the 9013.80.90 and 8529.90.13 line items.

The Miscellaneous Tariff Bill became law Sept. 13 with the signature of the president, the White House announced on Sept. 13. The tariff rate reductions on nearly 1,700 items will take effect Oct. 13 -- 30 days after enactment. The reductions, which will last through the end of 2020, only affect the Most Favored Nation rate and not Section 301 tariffs. The International Trade Commission developed the list, and most of the items are intermediate goods, but some are consumer goods that are not produced in the U.S.

The Washington Tax and Public Policy Group opened a new division to focus on trade issues, the lobbying firm said in a news release. The new division, WTG Global, is led by Brian Diffell, who joined the firm in 2013 after working as a congressional staffer. Among issues WTG Global will work on are Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum, Section 301 tariffs and NAFTA, it said.