Each week, the trade community watches the giant chess match between China and the United States, seeing who will make the next move, who will potentially "win" the match or if the game will end in a draw. Currently, the "game" is still in play with both sides moving pieces to win.

If you are one of the many shoppers looking for deals this holiday season, prices may be higher than expected due to new tariffs on imported goods. These tariffs are likely to impact both import shipping volumes and prices of goods throughout this holiday season. 

The USTR (United States Trade Representative) has announced that on October 31, 2019, it will begin to accept tariff exclusion requests for Chinese imports that are subject to an additional 15 percent tariff (List 4), which went into effect on September 1, 2019. 

Exclusion requests will be received via the USTR exclusion request processing portal. Details regarding the application process will be published in the Federal Register next week. 

U.S. tariffs totaling to $7.5 billion will be enacted on the European Union today. Producers of specialty food products such as Italian Parmesan, French wine and Spanish olives have been put on the bargaining table as recompense for the illegal EU Airbus subsidies reported earlier this month. 

The U.S. administration has halted trade negotiations and doubled Turkish steel tariffs in response to Turkey's advance into Syria on Monday, October 14. The proposed $100 billion trade deal with the country is on hold due to the advance. 

The current Miscellaneous Trade Bill (MTB) (H.R. 4318) is in place through December 31, 2020. However, the USITC is opening the new MTB Portal this Friday, October 11, 2019 to allow U.S. manufacturers and importers an opportunity to include products on the list for consideration over the next year.

This week, the United States was granted permission by the World Trade Organization (WTO) to impose up to $7.5 billion of annual tariffs on goods from the European Union. This action provides the U.S. administration with the ability to tax wine, airplanes and other goods exported from Europe to the United States.

The Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (TFTEA) is an authorization of CBP’s trade authority and was enforced to create an environment for fair, honest and competitive trade in the United States. Section 906 of TFTEA made a comprehensive set of changes to drawback claim filing. Even though TFTEA was only signed into law in 2016, it is necessary to know these recent changes since it greatly effects the drawback application process.

Breaking News: Product Exclusions Granted for List 3

On August 5, 2019 the USTR (United States Trade Representative) announced that product exclusions have been approved for S301 List 3 duties. The product exclusions are broken into ten new product-specific descriptions such as certain plastic containers, pet cages, shopping carts and inflatable kayaks and boats.

Duty drawback is a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program where companies are refunded up to 99% of customs duties, taxes and/or fees that were previously levied upon imported merchandise, and of internal revenue taxes paid on domestic alcohol as well as other excise taxes. Duty drawback, however, is one of the most complicated commercial programs managed by CBP. Thus, it is important to have a clear understanding of all facets of how the program works and develop a relationship with a reputable drawback broker, who can help you navigate the rules and international laws.

The team at Ascent Global Logistics is ready to help you work through these complexities by determining if your situation qualifies for the Drawback Program.