The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced country-by-country allocations of additional fiscal year 2020 in-quota quantities of the tariff-rate quotas for imported raw cane sugar. USTR also announced sugar may be entered under the FY20 TRQ through Oct. 31, 2020, one month later than the usual last entry date. Of the 90,718 metric tons raw value added to the raw cane sugar TRQ by the Agriculture Department on Sept. 10 (see 2009090022), USTR is allocating 10,718 MTRV to Australia and 80,000 MTRV to Brazil, it said in the notice, released Sept. 21.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative plans to adjust an extension for a Section 301 tariff exclusion, it said in a notice. The agency said the technical change applies to an extension of an exclusion to the third list of goods subject to the tariffs. The extensions were “modified by deleting '(described in statistical reporting number 9403.20.0050)' and inserting '(described in statistical reporting number 9403.20.0050 or 9403.20.0078)' in lieu thereof,” it said.
Mexican companies are finding they have less time to reform their union relationships than they had thought, and U.S. firms that contract with companies in aerospace, aerospace, auto and auto parts, cosmetics, industrial baked goods, steel, aluminum, glass, pottery, plastic, forgings, cement and mining sectors should be doing due diligence to learn what the plan is to come into compliance. The head of the AFL-CIO recently said they are planning to file a complaint within the month (see 2009040052).
As the International Trade Commission begins its investigation into safeguard actions to protect U.S. blueberry growers, a Canadian Embassy spokesperson notes that the North American trade treaty requires that Canada be excluded from a global safeguard tariff if “Canadian imports are not contributing to serious injury or any threat of serious injury to the U.S. domestic industry. This is the case for U.S. imports of Canadian blueberries. As a result, Canada expects that the United States will not apply any safeguard tariff or quota on blueberry imports from Canada.”
Modifications to rules of origin for the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) announced in presidential proclamations issued in 2016 and 2017 will take effect Nov. 1, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said in a notice released Sept. 2. The changes, which are intended to continue the same tariff treatment under CAFTA-DR despite revisions to member countries’ national tariff schedules, had been detailed in annexes included with the proclamations (see 1612190005 and 1712260010) but awaited USTR’s announcement of an effective date prior to implementation. “The applicable conditions set forth in the CAFTA-DR” for implementation of the changes to the rules of origin “have been fulfilled,” USTR said in the notice.
An Aug. 20 Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Department of Agriculture and Department of Commerce virtual hearing on import competition in seasonal produce will include testimony from two Florida and three Georgia members of Congress, a representative of the office of a third Florida Congress member, Farm Bureau executives, and vegetable and berry farmers. It will also include trade groups and a company that oppose restrictions on Mexican produce, among them the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, the San Diego Customs Brokers Association, and milk and corn exporters. The hearing is the second of two that were originally scheduled to take place in Florida and Georgia in April.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin were not able to hold a videoconference with China Vice Premier Liu He on the progress of the U.S.-China trade deal over its first six months, Reuters reported. The six-month anniversary of the deal, Saturday, Aug. 15, was the intended date for the review. The USTR did not respond to a question on when a meeting would be rescheduled to talk about compliance. Reuters reported that a source said the U.S. wanted more time for China to increase its U.S. purchases agreed to in the deal, which entered into force Feb. 15, just before the COVID-19 pandemic began to disrupt commerce globally.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is soliciting comments on China's compliance with its World Trade Organization commitments, the agency said in a notice. Comments are due by Sept. 16. There will be no hearing this year, instead the Trade Policy Staff Committee will send written questions to commenters.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative plans to adjust two Section 301 tariff exclusions, it said in a pair of notices posted to the agency's website. The first notice amends an exclusion from the first list of Section 301 tariffs to change a weight description. The second revises an exclusion from the second list of the tariffs to delete a value description for digital clinical thermometers.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is requesting comments on whether new tariff exclusions granted to Chinese imports on Section 301 List 4 that are set to expire Sept. 1 (see 2008060008) should be extended for up to another year, it said in a notice released Aug. 10. The agency is already accepting comments on previously granted extensions that expire on Sept. 1 (see 2007150036). The comments are due by Aug. 20, it said. Each exclusion will be evaluated independently. The evaluation's focus will be on whether, despite the first imposition of these additional duties, the particular product remains available only from China. The companies are required to post a public rationale.