USTR Initiates Review Of Section 301 Tariffs On Imports From China
The International Wood Products Association recently reported that the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced it is initiating a review of the tariff actions imposed as a result of the Section 301 investigation of China’s Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation. This review is required by law in order for USTR to maintain tariffs on goods for more than four years.
To begin, USTR will invite domestic industries and their representatives to comment in support of continuing tariffs on covered products.
For products on List 1, USTR will accept comments supporting continuation between May 7, 2022 and July 5, 2022. If stakeholders do not request the continuation of tariffs for an item on List 1 by July 6, 2022, USTR may allow the Section 301 tariff on that good to expire.
For products on List 2, USTR will accept comments supporting continuation between June 24, 2022 and August 22, 2022. If stakeholders do not request the continuation of tariffs for an item on List 2 by August 23, 2022, USTR may allow the Section 301 tariff on that good to expire.
Wood products subject to the Section 301 tariffs are generally found on either List 3 or List 4A. For the purposes of this process, USTR is considering Lists 3 and 4A to be modifications of Lists 1 and 2 and will also accept comments supporting continuation of tariffs on those goods through August 22, 2022. Again, if stakeholders do not request the continuation of tariffs on goods on those lists, USTR may allow them to expire (likely on September 24, 2022 for List 3 and September 1, 2023 for List 4A).
If stakeholders do advocate continuation of the tariffs, USTR will then announce a “second phase” of the review where interested parties will have the opportunity to comment in favor of removing the tariffs on goods of concern to them. Details about how stakeholders such as IWPA and importers can participate in this second phase will be announced after the initial comments supporting continuation are received and reviewed.
(Editor’s note: The USTR comments web portal is accessible through comments.ustr.gov, or if you have trouble logging in or creating an account, call USTR 301 hotline at 202-395-5725.).
