On July 5, 2018, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) hosted a teleconference to review Section 301 filings requirements, allow members of the trade community to seek clarifications and raise questions, and outline resources CBP has in place.

The first set of Section 301 tariff increases is effective on July 6, 2018.

This is the second round of tariff increases following the recent Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum. CBP is highly interested in hearing from the trade community to ensure effective implementation of the new 301 tariffs. If a business or importer has specific questions or concerns, CBP encourages them to contact the agency at traderemedy@cbp.dhs.gov.

CBP recommends monitoring the Federal Register and USTR website for the forthcoming exclusion process. This will be provided in a separate Federal Register Notice (FRN).

There is also a second list of 284 tariff lines covering approximately $16 billion of imports from China under consideration for implementation. These were identified by the interagency Section 301 group and are currently undergoing a public notice and comment process, including a public hearing.

On the call, CBP clarified that the 25% tariff is limited to goods with a country of origin (CoO) and NOT a country of export, of the People’s Republic of China (excluding Hong Kong and Macao).

Other highlights are included below:

  • Free Trade Zones (FTZ): Goods entering as privileged foreign (PF) before 12:01 AM on July 6 will not be subject to, or assessed, the new duties. The FRN specifies applicability to products admitted to FTZs on or after the effective date. The notice does not discuss PF status prior to the effective date. It was confirmed that the ACE system has been updated to reflect this.
  • Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the U.S. (HTSUS) Subheading 9903.88.10 should be active in system.
  • There are no quotas related to Section 301. The ACE quota module is not being used and is not tied to Section 301 products. Members of the trade community should not receive any quota messages unless the product is subject to an applicable quota, however, CBP does not believe that the over 800 HS codes subject to the 25% tariff are also subject to an applicable quota.
  • If Chapter 98 provisions are applied correctly from a compliance perspective, then the rates of duty imposed under Section 301 will not apply. Importers must follow the instructions and properly file claims for HTSUS Chapter 98 entries.
  • Importers must report if a product meets the requirements of Section 301 by using the correct HTSUS Subheading (i.e., 9903.88.10).
  • De Minimis: It was noted that if a product meets Section 301 requirements and is under the $800 threshold, the shipment should follow existing procedures.
  • CBP has indicated that they will, under a case-by-case review approach, grant leeway to members of the trade community experiencing some of the more complicated questions and/or complex technical matters raised on the call. CBP has asked parties to document questions, so that they can be responded to. For example, there are open FTZ questions, questions related to sets and kits where an import specialist may be able to assist and/or a ruling needs to be requested.

The CBP web page for Section 301 trade remedies against China may be found here.

CBP announced it is developing a Section 301 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) web page.

 

 

 

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Photo of John Brew John Brew

John Brew is the co-chair of Crowell & Moring’s International Trade Group and a partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. He has extensive experience in import and export trade regulation, and he regularly advises corporations, trade associations, foreign governments, and non-governmental organizations…

John Brew is the co-chair of Crowell & Moring’s International Trade Group and a partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. He has extensive experience in import and export trade regulation, and he regularly advises corporations, trade associations, foreign governments, and non-governmental organizations on matters involving customs administration, enforcement, compliance, litigation, legislation and policy.

John represents clients in proceedings at the administrative and judicial levels, as well as before Congress and the international bureaucracies that handle customs and trade matters. He advises clients on all substantive import regulatory issues handled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, such as classification, valuation, origin, marking, tariff preference programs, other agency regulations, admissibility, import restrictions, quotas, drawback, audits, prior disclosures, penalties, investigations, Importer Self Assessment and Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism programs, importations under bond, the Jones Act, vessel repairs, and foreign trade zone matters.

Photo of Edward Goetz Edward Goetz

Edward Goetz is the manager for International Trade Services in Crowell & Moring’s Washington, D.C. office. Edward leads the firm’s international trade analysts providing practice support to the International Trade Group in the areas of customs regulations, trade remedies, trade policy, export control…

Edward Goetz is the manager for International Trade Services in Crowell & Moring’s Washington, D.C. office. Edward leads the firm’s international trade analysts providing practice support to the International Trade Group in the areas of customs regulations, trade remedies, trade policy, export control, economic sanctions, anti-money laundering (AML), anti-corruption/anti-bribery, and antiboycott. He has extensive government experience providing information and interpretive guidance on the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) concerning the export of defense articles, defense services, and related technical data. He also assists attorneys with matters involving the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), economic sanctions, AML, anti-corruption/anti-bribery, and trade remedies.