TRADE RELATIONS

Interim U.S. Deal with Mainland China Possible as Beijing Suspends More Tariffs

16 September 2019

President Trump said on 12 September that he would be willing to consider an interim trade agreement with mainland China, which could open the door for progress at bi-lateral talks scheduled for October. The president’s comments came as mainland China announced that it plans to add pork and soybeans to a list of U.S. goods recently exempted from its retaliatory tariffs. More

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U.S. to Impose 10 Percent Additional Tariff on All Remaining Imports from Mainland China on 1 September

05 August 2019

President Trump has announced that beginning on 1 September he will impose a 10 percent additional tariff on virtually all of the remaining US$300 billion worth of goods imported from mainland China that are not already subject to Section 301 tariffs (List 4 goods). More

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USTR Lighthizer Offers Administration’s Views on Various Trade Issues

05 August 2019

On 18 June, USTR Lighthizer appeared as the sole witness before the Senate Finance Committee. Given the limited time in the public hearing, senators were able to submit additional questions for the record to Lighthizer and his team. The questions and answers from committee members of both parties have now been made public, consisting of 66 pages encompassing all aspects of U.S. trade policy. More

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More List 1 Goods from Mainland China Excluded from Section 301 Tariffs

09 July 2019

USTR has announced the exclusion of additional products from the additional 25 percent duty imposed on some US$34 billion worth of imports from mainland China (List 1 goods). These exclusions will be retroactive to 6 July 2018 and remain in place for a period of one year from the date of publication of an official notice in the Federal Register. More

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Vietnam Signs “Milestone” Trade and Investment Agreements with EU, Upping Pressure on Competition from Other Asian Countries

08 July 2019

On 30 June 2019, the EU and Vietnam signed two long-awaited agreements which provide for a significant liberalisation in trade and facilitation of investments between the two trading partners. The ambitious deals are expected to deepen economic relations between the EU and the Southeast Asian country, but could also see increased competition from Vietnam, for those exporting goods from Hong Kong and mainland China. More

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Global Trade Barriers Rise As EU Works to Open Markets; Reciprocal Trade Measures Cannot Be Excluded

02 July 2019

On 17 June 2019, the European Commission presented a Report describing what it called a steady opening of markets for EU traders amidst rising global protectionism. Between 2014 and 2017, the EU is said to have intensified efforts to lower global barriers to trade, resulting in the removal of 123 trade barriers and the generation of additional exports totalling at least EUR 6.1 billion. More

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Additional Tariffs on Mainland China List 4 Goods on Hold; List 3 Exclusion Requests Being Accepted

02 July 2019

President Trump announced on 29 June following a meeting with mainland Chinese President Xi Jinping that the United States will suspend plans to impose additional tariffs of up to 25 percent on so-called List 4 goods from mainland China, which have a current import value of approximately US$300 billion. Trump also vowed to relax the restrictions currently in place on U.S. exports to mainland Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei but he did not provide specific details on this commitment. More

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Negotiations to Modernise Peru-China FTA Move Forward

02 July 2019

Peru and mainland China held on 17-19 June in Lima a second round of talks aimed at maximising the benefits of their current bi-lateral FTA. According to Peruvian authorities, this effort will facilitate the activities of Peruvian importers and exporters and create additional opportunities for services companies, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises. More

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Mexico’s Tax Administration Service Issues General Foreign Trade Rules for 2019

28 June 2019

Mexico’s Tax Administration Service (SAT) issued on 24 June its General Foreign Trade Rules (RGCEs) for 2019 to replace the RGCEs that were issued for 2018 and that also applied during the first half of this year until the issuance of the new rules. More

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Export Restrictions Lifted on Eight Mainland Chinese Entities

28 June 2019

Effective 27 June, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security has removed the following eight persons in mainland China from the Unverified List because an end-use check verified their bona fides: Beijing Bayi Space LCD Materials Technology Co. Ltd., Hubei Flying Optical, Sunder Tools (Changxing) Technology, Wuhan Yifi Laser Equipment Co., Wuxi Hengling Technology Co. Ltd., Xiaman Sanan Optoelectronics, Zhejiang Xizi Aviation and Zolix Instruments Co. More

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