Eight House Republicans, including seven from the Texas delegation, went to bat for constituent tech companies trying to fend off Trade Act Section 301 tariffs of 25 percent on imports from China, with the final tariffs list due out this week. The eighth GOP member said he wants to protect Cree from paying higher duties on the LED wafers that it makes in North Carolina, ships to China, and re-imports to the U.S. as finished, packaged chips.
Eight House Republicans, including seven from the Texas delegation, went to bat for constituent tech companies trying to fend off Trade Act Section 301 tariffs of 25 percent on imports from China, with the final tariffs list due out this week (see 1805290010). The eighth GOP member said he wants to protect one company, Cree, from paying higher duties on the LED wafers that it makes in North Carolina, ships to China, and re-imports to the U.S. as finished, packaged chips.
BALTIMORE -- The first round of Section 232 product exclusions should be released soon, said Rich Ashooh, assistant secretary for export administration at the Department of Commerce. "The [Commerce] secretary is very anxious to reach that milestone," he said in response to a question from International Trade Today. Ashooh spoke at the annual American Association of Exporters and Importers Conference June 7.
Several lawmakers submitted letters for and against the inclusion of specific tariff codes in the proposed list of products to face higher tariffs under the Section 301 investigation. The letters were posted in the Section 301 docket on June 5, though many are dated from May. Among the letters are a request from Rep. Glenn Thompson, R- Pa., that bookbinding machinery be removed from the list, and a request from Reps. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., asking that vehicle hoists receive tariffs. Eight members of the California delegation asked the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative not to impose tariffs that would harm the state's agricultural industry, and Rep. Peter Visclosky, D-Ind., complained that the administration has "hesitated" to implement the tariffs.
The direct impact from the Section 232 tariffs and retaliatory actions on the medical technology industry remains to be seen, said Ralph Ives, executive vice president, global strategy and analysis at the Advanced Medical Technology Association. "We do not yet have a dollar figure for the total impact on the medtech industry for the Section 232 action and related retaliatory measures regarding steel/aluminum," he said. "This is due in part to the action still being a bit in flux," including a reported push by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to still exempt Canada from the tariffs, he said.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for May 29 - June 1 in case they were missed.
Life Sciences Trade Alert is providing readers with some of the top stories for May 29- June 1 in case they were missed.
Chinese pledges to buy more U.S. agricultural products and natural gas (see 1805200002) are still on the table, but China said that if Section 301 tariffs are levied, these purchases will not happen. On June 4, the White House issued a summary of the talks between the Chinese and a delegation led by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross that happened in Beijing the previous two days. "The meetings focused on reducing the United States’ trade deficit by facilitating the supply of agricultural and energy products to meet China’s growing consumption needs, which will help support growth and employment in the United States," the statement said.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer should “do everything possible” to address China’s allegedly unfair trade practices without “imposing tariffs” or enacting measures that “might harm large numbers" of U.S. workers, consumers and businesses, said a Wednesday letter signed by 34 House Democrats and Republicans and released Thursday. The letter to Lighthizer comes before the USTR's office releases its final list of duties by June 15 and a day after the White House announced its decision to proceed with the tariffs on Chinese imports (see 1805290046).
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer should “do everything possible” to address China’s allegedly unfair trade practices without “imposing tariffs” or enacting measures that “might harm large numbers" of U.S. workers, consumers and businesses, said a Wednesday letter signed by 34 House Democrats and Republicans and released Thursday. The letter to Lighthizer comes before the USTR's office releases its final list of duties by June 15 and a day after the White House announced its decision to proceed with the tariffs on Chinese imports (see 1805290046).