The U.S. invoked the rapid response labor mechanism under USMCA to investigate a Mexican meat processing facility. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said that it had received a petition alleging that workers at the Alimentos Grole facility in Mexico are being denied the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining. The U.S. has therefore suspended liquidation of unliquidated entries of goods from the facility.
The Trump administration may begin to use withhold release orders to punish enemies and reward allies, pushing nongovernmental organizations to pursue litigation against companies using forced labor, according to a human rights lawyer and nonprofit director.
The U.S. is using "magical thinking" as the basis for its defense in the case against the legality of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, said Rick Woldenberg, CEO of Hand2Mind and Learning Resources, the plaintiffs in the suit currently at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
The Commerce Department soon will suspend liquidation and impose countervailing duty cash deposit requirements on imports of polypropylene corrugated boxes from China, it said in an Aug. 18 fact sheet. Commerce will set the CVD rate at 199.6% for all Chinese exporters, the agency said as it announced its preliminary determinations in its ongoing CVD investigation. Suspension of liquidation and cash deposit requirements will take effect for entries on or after the date of publication of the preliminary determinations in the Federal Register, which should occur in the coming days. Commerce is conducting concurrent antidumping duty investigations on the same product from China and Vietnam, with a preliminary determination expected by Oct. 14.
Some companies and associations in the solar industry endorsed additional tariffs on Chinese polysilicon, but others expressed concern that allied countries will be hit with overlapping Section 232 tariffs on both imports of polysilicon and solar cells, in public comments to the Bureau of Industry and Security.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that wrapping up remaining trade deals by October is "aspirational" in part because India has been "recalcitrant" during trade negotiations.
The threat of the Trump administration's tariff policy looms over the upcoming USMCA review, causing former officials involved in the initial negotiations to warn that the review may turn into a non-stop renegotiation complicated by tariff discussions.
The American Apparel and Footwear Association thanked the Trump administration's suspension of higher tariff rates on China, but said the measure only keeps American companies and consumers "stuck in the same holding pattern" since President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs were announced.
Multiple countries said they're still assessing the impact of the new U.S. tariffs that took effect Aug. 1 (see 2507310081), although some that agreed to deals, including the EU and South Korea, said they now have more stability for their industries.
The Commerce Department soon will suspend liquidation and impose countervailing duty cash deposit requirements on imports of chassis from Mexico and Thailand, it said in a fact sheet issued July 29. Commerce will set CVD rates at 133.18% for Mexican exporters and ranging from 2.24% to 9.42% for Thai exporters, the agency said as it announced its preliminary determinations in its ongoing CVD investigation. Suspension of liquidation and cash deposit requirements will take effect for entries on or after the date of publication of the preliminary determinations in the Federal Register, which should occur in the coming days. Commerce is conducting concurrent antidumping duty investigations on the same product from Mexico, Thailand and Vietnam, with a preliminary determination expected by Sept. 24.