Expected Increase in Section 301 Tariffs on List 3 Goods from China under Section 301 Will Be Delayed

Over the weekend, President Trump announced via Twitter that the anticipated increase in the Section 301 Tariffs on the List 3 Goods imported into the United States from China will be delayed given the progress being made in the Administration’s ongoing negotiations with China on intellectual property protection, forced technology transfers, agriculture, services,  and currency issues.

In September 2018, the United States imposed 10% tariffs on the List 3 group of Chinese-origin goods valued at $200 billion covering over 6,000 HTSUS classifications. The 10% tariffs were intended to be increased to 25% on January 1, 2019; however, the President ordered the tariffs to remain at 10% for a period of 90 days while the United States and China continued their negotiations to resolve issues relating to China’s forced technology transfers, IPR protection, non-tariff barriers to trade, cyber intrusions, cyber theft, services and agricultural products. Industry has been anticipating that the increase to 25% tariffs would take place on March 2, 2019; however, the President’s recent tweet appears to confirm a delay of unspecified duration in the implementation of the increased tariffs.  

Importers are urged to stay up-to-date on new developments in this area to ensure that they have sufficient lead time to adapt to changes that will impact their international supply chains. If you have any questions pertaining to the Section 301 tariffs or other international trade issues, please contact Melissa Proctor (melissa@millerproctorlaw.com) at Miller Proctor Law PLLC (https:www.millerproctorlaw.com).