Member Alert

USTR Finalizes Third Tariff List on Imports from China

On Sept. 17, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released a list of approximately $200 billion worth of imports from China that would be subject to additional tariffs. The additional tariffs will be effective starting Sept. 24, 2018, and initially will be in the amount of 10 percent. Starting Jan. 1, 2019, the level of the additional tariffs will increase to 25 percent.

The list contains 5,745 full or partial lines of the original 6,031 tariff lines that were on a proposed list of Chinese imports announced on July 10, 2018. After a public hearing and commenting review process, USTR removed 297 tariff lines, including consumer electronic products, chemical inputs, textiles and agriculture, and health and safety products.

The proposed action is the third round of tariffs released by USTR in response to Section 301 investigation findings on China’s unfair trade practices related to forced technology transfer. Earlier this month, the Auto Care Association filed comments and testified at the Section 301 hearing before USTR.

A formal notice of the tariff action will be published in the Federal Register shortly.