A set of changes to the Generalized System of Preferences will take effect Nov. 1 under a Presidential Proclamation issued on Oct. 30. Changes in the proclamation include the addition of fresh-cut roses to and removal of parboiled rice from the list of goods that are eligible for GSP, the U.S. Trade Representative said in a news release. The changes were reflected in an update to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule posted by the International Trade Commission. The proclamation also suspends GSP benefits for certain products of Thailand, effect Dec. 30. That is because of Thailand's "lack of sufficient progress providing the United States with equitable and reasonable market access for pork products," said the USTR.

The International Trade Commission updated the tariff schedule late Oct. 26 to restore an exemption for bifacial panels from safeguard duties on crystaline solar photovoltaic cells pursuant an order from the Court of International Trade. The exemption had been eliminated under an Oct. 10 presidential proclamation, but the CIT issued a temporary restraining order Oct. 24 that blocked the proclamation from taking effect. The court order specifically ordered the government to make no changes to the tariff schedule that would end the bifacial panel exemption.

Over 150 exclusions from lists 1 and 2 of Section 301 China tariffs are set to end Oct. 2, after the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative did not include them in two recently released notices of exclusion extensions. In its notice on List 1 exclusions, USTR granted extensions to nine out of the 96 exclusions listed in U.S. Note 20(x) and filed under tariff schedule subheading 9903.88.19. USTR's notice on List 2 exclusions announced extensions to 28 out of the 113 currently listed in U.S. Note 20(y) and filed under subheading 9903.88.20.

The Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act, a preferences program that includes special provisions for textile and apparel imports, is scheduled for a vote in the House later this week. The program is set to expire Sept. 30.

Over 300 exclusions from Lists 1 and 2 of Section 301 China tariffs are set to end Sept. 20, after the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative did not include them in two notices of exclusion extensions released Sept. 17. In its notice on List 1 exclusions, USTR granted extensions to 62 out of the 310 exclusions listed in U.S. Note 20(q) and filed under tariff schedule subheading 9903.88.14. USTR's notice on List 2 exclusions announced extensions to 17 out of the 86 currently listed in U.S. Note 20(v) and filed under subheading 9903.88.17.

The day before Canadian countermeasures were to begin in response to 10% tariffs on Canadian non-alloyed, unwrought aluminum, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced it will end the Section 232 tariffs, retroactive to Sept. 1. The 10% tariff on the subsection of aluminum imports went into effect Aug. 16.

Four companies and an “training center” in the Xinjiang region of China will be subject to withhold release orders, CBP said Sept. 14. Despite some expectations otherwise, the new WROs don't apply to Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, which would have amounted to a more “regional” approach by the agency. CBP is still looking at broader restrictions on cotton, textile and tomato products from the region under a WRO, but is undertaking further “legal analysis” on the issue, Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Kenneth Cuccinelli said during a call with reporters.

CBP is apparently working on a regulatory change that would eliminate the $800 de minimis exemption for goods subject to Section 301 tariffs. The agency on Sept. 2 submitted to the Office of Management and Budget a proposed rule titled, “Excepting Merchandise Subject to Section 301 Duties from the Customs De Minimis Exemption,” according to OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs website. OMB’s reviews are the final step before publication of a rule, and include an interagency review. CBP did not immediately comment.

Over half of all exclusions from list four Section 301 China tariffs are now set to expire Sept. 1, after the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative did not include them in a notice of extensions released the day before their slated expiration. In the notice, USTR granted extensions until Dec. 31 to only 87 of the over 200 list four exclusions published to date. That leaves over 100 exclusions to expire on schedule.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative released an updated list of goods from the European Union to be subject to Section 301 tariffs as part of the dispute settlement at the World Trade Organization over Airbus subsidies. The changes will take effect on Sept. 1, it said.