The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative issued two new sets of product exclusions from the 25 percent Section 301 tariffs on goods from China. The exclusions include products from the first two lists of Section 301 goods. The new exclusions from the first tranche include "92 specially prepared product descriptions" and cover 129 separate requests, according to the notice. The second tranche exclusions include 111 product descriptions and covers 382 requests, the agency said.

The U.S. Trade Representative announced that the U.S. will reduce or eliminate tariffs on certain Japanese machine tools, bicycles, bicycle parts, fasteners, steam turbines and musical instruments, as well as eliminating or reducing tariffs on 42 tariff lines that cover $40 million in food and agricultural imports from Japan, as part of a "mini-deal" recently agreed to by the two countries. Those food and agricultural imports include plants, flowers, persimmons, green tea, chewing gum and soy sauce.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative issued three new sets of product exclusions from the 25 percent Section 301 tariffs on goods from China. The exclusions include products from the first three lists of Section 301 goods. The new exclusions from the first tranche include "310 specially prepared product descriptions" and cover 724 separate requests, according to the notice. The second tranche exclusions include 89 product descriptions and covers 400 requests, while the third tranche exclusions include 38 product descriptions that cover 46 exclusion requests, the agency said.

President Donald Trump said the next Section 301 tariff increase won't occur until Oct. 15, two weeks later than the previously announced date. "We have agreed, as a gesture of good will, to move the increased Tariffs on 250 Billion Dollars worth of goods (25% to 30%), from October 1st to October 15th," he said in a tweet.

The U.S. will on Oct. 1 raise its existing Section 301 tariffs on the first three lists of $250 billion in imports from China from 25 percent to 30 percent, said President Donald Trump in a series of tweets Aug. 23. The next set of tariffs set to take effect beginning Sept. 1 on $300 billion in imports from China will also be increased from 10 percent to 15 percent, Trump said.

The U.S. Trade Representative released the tariff lines that won't face additional tariffs until December, and the list is far broader than electronics, clothes and toys. Chemicals, food, camping gear, blankets, baby items, sports equipment, watches, clocks, small appliances, wooden hangers and fireworks all are spared, along with a wide variety of clothes and electronics. The list covers more than 650 tariff lines.

CBP on Aug. 13 released a pre-publication version of a new proposed rule setting new importer identity verification requirements for customs brokers. Set for publication the following day, the proposal would create minimum standards for what information brokers have to collect from their clients, as well as requirements to verify and maintain records on that information.

The U.S. Trade Representative announced that some goods included on the upcoming list four of Section 301 tariffs, including laptops, computer monitors, cell phones, video game consoles, certain toys and certain items of footwear and clothing, will not face additional 10 percent tariffs until Dec. 15. The announcement said the tariff lines in question would be published on the USTR.gov website later on Aug. 13. The agency also said there will be some products excluded entirely from the new set of tariffs for health, safety, national security or "other factors," and that those tariff lines will also be published later in the day.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative issued its first set of product exclusions from the third group of Section 301 tariffs on goods from China. The new exclusions from the tariffs include "10 specially prepared product descriptions" and cover 15 separate requests, according to the notice. The product exclusions apply retroactively to Sept. 24, 2018, the date the third set of tariffs took effect at 10 percent. The tariffs were subsequently increased to 25 percent. The exclusions will remain in effect until one year after the notice is published.

President Donald Trump said a 10 percent tariff on imported goods from China on List 4 -- nearly all the remaining imports that have not been hit in Section 301 -- will start on Sept. 1. He linked the punishment to a lack of agriculture purchases and the fact that "my friend President Xi" did not stop the sale of fentanyl to the U.S.