The rapid changes in trade policy have elevated the need for adroit trade compliance management at international companies that hadn't previously been so concerned with customs duties, said two compliance professionals who spoke at the American Association of Exporters and Importers Annual Conference in Washington on June 28. "It's been an overall breaking down walls of communication" among the various groups at the company who "historically" didn't interact very often, said Antoinette Montoya, corporate export-import compliance manager at Bechtel Corporation. Now, though, "we've had a lot of really good strategic relationships built out of this," she said. Whatever happens with subsequent administrations, those relationships will "really help us in the long run," Montoya said.
ITC Issues Semiannual Revision to 2019 HTS; Changes Take Effect July 1
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative seeks comments in connection with its annual review of the eligibility of countries for benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), USTR said. The agency will consider, among other things, whether to restore or revoke eligibility for sub-Saharan African countries covered by AGOA. Countries found ineligible for AGOA in 2019 include Burundi; Democratic Republic of Congo; Equatorial Guinea (graduated from GSP); Eritrea; Mauritania; Seychelles (graduated from GSP); Somalia; South Sudan; Sudan; and Zimbabwe. USTR will hold a public hearing on Aug. 27, and the deadline to file requests to testify there or to file any prehearing comments is noon on Aug. 14. Sept. 3 is the final deadline for comments.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for June 10-14 in case they were missed.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will hold a public hearing July 2 at 1:30 p.m. on product addition and removal petitions and competitive need limitation (CNL) waiver petitions submitted as part of the 2019 Generalized System of Preferences review, it said in a notice. The hearing will fall the same day as an International Trade Commission hearing on the economic effects of the potential GSP changes, which include the removal of two country-product pairs from the program, waivers of CNLs for two country-product pairs and the re-addition of four country-product pairs to the program (see 1906090007). Pre-hearing comments and briefs for USTR are due June 26, and the deadline for post-hearing comments for USTR is Aug. 15, USTR said. The effective date for any modifications resulting from the 2019 GSP review will be Nov. 1, 2019, the agency said.
The International Trade Commission published notices in the June 11 Federal Register on the following AD/CV injury, Section 337 patent and other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will be in another ITT article):
The International Trade Commission issued Revision 7 to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. The revised tariff schedule now reflects the removal of India from the Generalized System of Preferences program (see 1905310072), with the country removed from lists of GSP beneficiaries in General Note 4, and a bevy of subheadings for India removed from the list of country-product pairs ineligible for GSP because they exceeded Competitive Need Limitations. The new version also ends an exemption for India from Section 201 safeguards on solar cells and washing machines, because India is no longer considered a developing country that qualifies for the exemption. These changes took effect June 5.
The International Trade Commission is launching an investigation into possible additions and removals of products from the Generalized System of Preferences program, it said in a June 7 press release. Conducted in response to a request from the U.S. trade representative, the investigation will inform USTR’s decisions on product eligibility in the ongoing 2018 GSP annual review. ITC and the USTR will also in the review consider whether to grant requests for de minimis and competitive need limitations waivers.
The International Trade Commission recently issued Revision 6 to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. Changes include the removal of Turkey from the Generalized System of Preferences program (see 1905170004), including its elimination from the list of GSP countries in General Note 4 and the removal of Turkish goods from the list of country-product pairs ineligible for GSP. The new version also removes Turkey from the lists in U.S. Notes 17 and 18 to Chapter 99 of developing countries exempt from safeguard duties on washing machines and solar cells. These changes took effect May 17. Effective May 20, the tariff schedule is amended to remove additional Section 232 tariffs on steel products from Turkey provided for in U.S. Note 16 to Chapter 99 and in subheading 9903.80.02, so that Turkey is now subject to the 25% tariff applicable to most other countries. Finally, Revision 6 includes changes to reflect the recently announced exemption of Mexico and Canada from Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum (see 1905170044), with modifications to U.S. Note 16 to Chapter 99 and subheadings 9903.80.01 and 9903.85.01 that took effect May 20.
India was removed as a Generalized System of Preferences beneficiary country on June 5. As a result, India is no longer exempt from the Section 201 safeguards on solar cells and residential washers and parts, CBP said in a recent CSMS message. CBP said it updated ACE with the changes on June 3 (see 1906040007).