CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative should expand its use of the Generalized System of Preferences to encourage beneficiaries to make policy and enforcement changes, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation said in a report released Aug. 20. The agency's foreign trade barrier and intellectual property reports should more directly guide decisions "to self-initiate reviews of whether GSP beneficiaries are breaching the program’s trade, market access, or intellectual property criteria," the ITIF said. The USTR is already reviewing GSP benefits for Indonesia, India, Kazakhstan, Thailand and Turkey over various issues (see 1808150034).
ATLANTA -- China's inaction in the face of accusations of unfair trade practices continues to drive the dispute between it and the U.S., Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish said while speaking at the CBP 2018 Trade Symposium on Aug. 15. "I recognize that many of you may have concerns about the tariffs being imposed. However, I can assure you these actions were not taken lightly," he said. The tariffs follow many years of failed discussions with the Chinese, including under the current administration, "in which the Chinese had repeatedly made commitments to correct their harmful, unfair and distortive actions and then refused to honor those commitments," he said.
President Donald Trump said he will double tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum because of the movement of the Turkish lira. " Aluminum will now be 20% and Steel 50%," he tweeted. "Our relations with Turkey are not good at this time!" The Turkish Embassy did not immediately respond with a comment. The country is also facing potential removal from the Generalized System of Preferences due to its tariffs on U.S. goods in response to the Section 232 tariffs (see 1808060021).
Turkey, which exported about $1.66 billion in goods duty free through the Generalized System of Preferences last year, may be barred from the program after a review at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The value of Turkish imports that come in duty free through GSP has increased by nearly 50 percent in five years, according to USTR data.
The Commerce Department issued the preliminary results of its antidumping duty administrative review on tapered roller bearings and parts thereof from China (A-570-601). In the final results of this review, Commerce will set assessment rates for subject merchandise from the 19 companies under review entered June 2016 through May 2017.
The Department of Justice and Temple St. Clair reached a $796,000 settlement to resolve allegations of civil fraud, the DOJ said in a news release. Temple St. Clair, "a fine jewelry designer, manufacturer, and importer based in New York, New York," was alleged to have undervalued its goods at import, the DOJ said. The company's senior leadership also allegedly carried jewelry, including a pendant valued at $83,000, into the U.S. for commercial purposes without declaration, the DOJ said. The lawsuit was initiated by a whistleblower under the False Claims Act, it said.
The International Trade Commission published notices in the June 20 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 Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will hold a hearing July 18 on potential product admissions, removals and waivers being considered in its 2018 Generalized System of Preferences review, it said in a notice. The agency is considering petitions to add GSP eligibility for nine products, remove country-specific eligibility for five country-product pairs, re-designate eight country-product pairs as GSP-eligible and grant five waivers for country-product pairs to remain eligible for GSP (see 1805240023). Pre-hearing comments on the review and requests to participate at the hearing are due July 3, and post-hearing briefs are due Aug. 8, USTR said. Any modifications to GSP proclaimed as a result of the review will take effect Nov. 1.
The International Trade Commission published notices in the May 25 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):