Trade Alerts

In December, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published a Federal Register Notice, which issued 123 new Section 232 tariff exclusions on steel and aluminum products, as well as a new process for requesting product exclusions from these measures. The new exclusions, called general approved exclusions (GAE), apply to certain steel and aluminum goods…

A new withhold release order (WRO) was announced by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on cotton and tomato products from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Effective January 13, 2021, the WRO requires CBP to detain all cotton and tomato products grown or produced in the Xinjiang province, including apparel, textiles, tomato seeds, canned tomatoes,…

In a December 30, 2020, press release, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced that additional Section 301 tariffs on certain European Union (EU) goods would be adjusted as part of the ongoing large civil aircraft dispute. “Products subject to the additional tariffs include aircraft manufacturing parts from France and Germany, certain non-sparkling…

The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) and the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) expired on December 31, 2020. As of the New Year, importers must pay duty on goods previously eligible for GSP and MTB. When GSP expired in the past, it was made effective retroactively after its renewal. Additionally, US Customs and Border Protection automatically…

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published CSMS #45309245 on December 29, 2020, providing updates regarding the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The update includes changes to the treatment of goods entered through foreign trade zones (FTZs), availability of merchandise processing fee (MPF) refunds, and the end of the restrained enforcement period. On December 27, 2020, the…

Beginning January 25, 2021, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will require the mandatory filing of its “Core” partner government agency (PGA) message set in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). This programming change will shift licensing, permits, and the data required for entry processing to ACE for APHIS-regulated plants, plant products, or live…

On January 25, 2021, new licensing requirements for aluminum products will take effect under a US Commerce Department final rule, which established the Aluminum Import Monitoring and Analysis (AIM) System. The new system acts similarly to the Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis System: it will require aluminum importers, or their Customs brokers, to submit information…

The Office of U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced today the determination to “extend certain product exclusions and to make further modifications to remove Section 301 duties from additional medical-care products to address COVID-19.”  In a notice posted to it’s website, the USTR “determined that maintaining or re-imposing additional duties on certain products subject to the…

The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) and the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) are scheduled to expire at the end of this year. Neither trade provision is earmarked for legislative review before the year’s end. When GSP expired in the past, it was made effective retroactively after its renewal. Additionally, US Customs and Border Protection automatically…

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has declared antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) a trade priority, and an upcoming Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) update speaks to that initiative. Beginning January 16, 2021, an update to ACE will include indicator flags for entry summaries subject to AD/CVD, which are under an Enforce and Protect Act (EAPA)…