Insights on Customs & Import Compliance

After initially accepting requests from importers in light of the novel coronavirus (COVID–19) pandemic to defer payment of duties—a means of relief that the Trump Administration had reportedly been considering—US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued guidance withdrawing this option.

On Wednesday, March 25, 2020, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is scheduled to publish a Federal Register notice requesting comments on the removal of Section 301 tariffs from Chinese medical-care products—including those that have been previously denied an exclusion—needed to respond to the COV

The coronavirus (COVID-19) is affecting all elements of society – with changes coming every day. These changes include the import, trade and transportation sectors. We will keep you updated on these changes as they occur.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently released a Department-wide strategy to combat human trafficking, child exploitation and forced labor in the supply chain. 

Last week, the Trump Administration announced a plan to crack down on the sales of contraband and counterfeit goods online. The steps will affect a number of parties in the supply chain from importers and sellers to customs brokers and forwarders to e-commerce providers.

On January 15, 2020, President Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu Hu signed the long-awaited US-China Trade Agreement after nearly two years of a trade war that has resulted in crippling tariffs on almost $500 billion worth of bilateral trade.

Our readers will be aware that the USMCA (CUSMA) is on track for US ratification and – by most accounts – will come into force possibly as early as mid-2020. This is not a lot of time for company executives to prepare. In addition, the three USMCA Partners will soon be meeting to set USMCA implement

Not to be outdone by the recent USMCA breakthrough, there have been significant end-of-the-year developments on the Section 301 tariff front. US importers should take stock as they wrap up activities for 2019 and continue planning for 2020.

Earlier today, House Democrats appeared before cameras on Capitol Hill to announce they had reached an agreement with the Trump Administration on the final text of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

List 4A goes into effect, all Section 301 tariffs to increase by 5 percent, USTR deadlines loom, and the President orders American companies to “search for alternatives” to China sourcing. This is your end-of-summer Section 301 China tariffs roundup.

On August 1, 2019, Trump posted a tweet that beginning on September 1, 2019, importers can expect a 10% tariff on $300 billion of Chinese goods.

At a press conference at the G20 Summit in Japan on June 29, President Trump said he will not lift current Section 301 tariffs on China, but also would not add tariffs on any additional Chinese imports “for at least the time being” as part of an agreement to resume negotiations with China. 

On June 20, 2019, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) published a notice outlining the procedure for requesting exclusions from List 3 of the Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports via a new web portal.

Because of the length of time since China Section 301 duties were first imposed on July 6, 2018, many 2018 entries first covered by the duties are approaching their liquidation date (if they have not liquidated already).

In response to the increasing numbers of illegal border crossers, primarily from the Central American countries of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, crossing into the US along the US – Mexico border, President Trump has previously indicated he would “shut the border.”

On May 21, 2019, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) published a Federal Register notice requesting comments on the proposed exclusion process for List 3 of the Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports.

For these tariffs to become effective, the US Trade Representative will need to publish a final notice after public comment and hearing.

On April 8, 2019, the USTR announced that it is initiating an investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to enforce the rights of the United States in the WTO dispute involving subsidies provided to the large civil aircraft industry by the European Union.

Companies have been hearing about a potential shut down of the US-Mexican border and we have compiled the latest information available.

The US Trade Representative (USTR) has released the first batch of approvals for exemptions from the 25% tariff on Chinese imports under Section 301 List 1. Of the 10,768 List 1 exclusions requests filed, the USTR has granted 984 exclusion requests (9%) and denied 1,257 requests (12%).

The US Government has been under a partial shutdown since December 21, 2018, and it is anyone’s guess when the shutdown will end. Congress has recessed until this week, and there is little word of progress among the parties.

If the turbulence of 2018 caused business executives grief, the year ahead is unlikely to provide much relief.  Foremost is the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). If most political pundits are correct, the three governments will likely be able to ratify the USMCA in time to be in full fo

In the last hour of the last day of last month, with 30 minutes to spare, US Trade Representative Lighthizer met the US self-imposed deadline and formally sent to Congress the agreed-upon text of a US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer issued a statement on August 2, 2018, advising that President Trump has directed him to consider raising the previously proposed 10% additional duty to be applied to $200 billion worth of Chinese goods (referred to as the List 3 products) to 25%.

On July 18, 2018, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the initiation of a Section 232 investigation into the impact of uranium imports on America’s national security.