NORTH AMERICA

Additional Tariffs on Mainland Chinese Seafood under Consideration

03 July 2020

Exports of mainland Chinese seafood to the United States could potentially face additional tariffs in months ahead if the Office of the U.S. Representative determines that Beijing is not meeting its purchase commitments under the phase one trade agreement between the United States and mainland China. More

hktdc research

U.S. Suspends Export Licence Exceptions for Hong Kong

30 June 2020

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced on 29 June the suspension of U.S. Department of Commerce regulations affording preferential treatment to Hong Kong over mainland China, including the availability of export licence exceptions. More

hktdc research

More List 2, All Current List 4A Section 301 Tariff Exclusions Considered for Extension

29 June 2020

An extension for up to 12 months of specific exclusions from the Section 301 additional tariff on List 2 goods from mainland China as well as all current exclusions from the additional tariff on List 4A goods from mainland China is under consideration by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Comments may be submitted during 1-30 July. More

hktdc research

More Tariff Increases Possible as U.S. Considers Revising WTO Commitments

24 June 2020

Recent comments by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer that the United States will “seek a broader reset at the WTO” with respect to member countries’ tariff commitments suggest that more U.S. tariff increases, along with retaliatory measures by U.S. trading partners, could be on the horizon. More

hktdc research

Certain Motorboats Excluded from Section 301 Tariff on List 3 Goods from Mainland China

23 June 2020

Certain motorboats have been added to the list of products excluded from the Section 301 additional 25 percent tariff on List 3 goods from mainland China. In addition, five previously granted exclusions for List 3 goods have been modified. More

hktdc research

USTR Updates Congress on U.S. Trade Negotiations

23 June 2020

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer recently updated Congress on on-going and potential U.S. trade negotiations. Among other things, he acknowledged that mainland China is not currently on pace to buy the amounts of U.S. agricultural and energy products that were agreed under the phase one trade agreement, due at least in part to the economic ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic. More

hktdc research

U.S. Export Restrictions on Huawei Revised

19 June 2020

On 15 June, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced a new interim final rule to ensure that Huawei’s placement on the Entity List in May 2019 does not prevent American companies from contributing to standards-developing activities. More

hktdc research

Lighthizer Says U.S. May Consider Lowering De Minimis Duty Exemption Threshold

19 June 2020

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on 17 June that the Trump administration may consider a change to a policy that has facilitated the expansion of e-commerce and yielded lower costs for many importers. More

hktdc research

Legislation Could Result in U.S. Stock Exchange De-listing of Certain Mainland Chinese Companies

17 June 2020

The U.S. Senate recently passed legislation by unanimous consent that could lead to the eventual de-listing of certain mainland Chinese companies from U.S. stock exchanges. The legislation will become law if it is approved by the House of Representatives and signed by the president. More

hktdc research

Senate Report Urges Additional Actions on Mainland Chinese Telecom Firms

15 June 2020

The Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations issued on 9 June a 104-page staff report arguing for greater oversight of the U.S. operations of China Telecom Americas, China Unicom Americas and Pacific Networks Corp.’s wholly-owned subsidiary ComNet USA. More

Page of 281