International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from Jan. 25-29 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
President Joe Biden reversed a Trump administration decision to move from 10% tariffs to quotas on aluminum exported from the United Arab Emirates. The proclamation, published Feb. 1, noted that imports of aluminum have “substantially decreased” since the imposition of Section 232 tariffs, and that imports from the UAE fell by 25%. Trade data says that imports of aluminum fell 8% from 2018 to 2019; they fell 10% from 2017 to 2018, the year the tariffs began.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
The Court of International Trade on Jan. 27 declined to dismiss a nail importer's challenge to Section 232 steel "derivatives" tariffs, but stopped short of finding in the importer's favor. In a lengthy opinion that drew an even longer dissent, two members of a three-judge CIT panel ruled against the government's motion to dismiss PrimeSource's claims that the derivatives tariffs ran afoul of the deadlines for tariff changes under Section 232, but held that more information was needed before it could render a final decision.
The European Union wants to work with America on ways to develop Artificial Intelligence standards, design a carbon adjustment border mechanism and stockpile medicines and personal protective gear in a way that lessens dependency on certain Asian countries, its ambassador to the U.S. said on a webinar hosted by the European American Chamber of Commerce
Russian steel company NLMK filed a lawsuit against U.S. Steel alleging the Pittsburgh-based company misled the Department of Commerce when it objected to the Section 232 exclusion requests filed by NLMK. The company filed the complaint in a Pennsylvania state court Jan. 22 and is seeking more than $100 million in damages for unfair competition. NLMK previously reached a settlement with the government over what it said was improperly denied exclusion requests (see 2010200029).
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from Jan. 19-22 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
At her confirmation hearing in the Senate, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, President Joe Biden's nominee for commerce secretary, was asked about rolling back Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum, and ending Section 201 tariffs on solar panels, which will increase to 18% on Feb. 7 if no action is taken (see 2010130028) and if a court doesn't stop it (see 2012300045).
The details of the United Arab Emirates aluminum quotas will be published on Jan. 25. They will allow 26,467,182 kilograms of wrought aluminum and castings and forgings to enter -- the wrought aluminum under headings 7604, 7605, 7606, 7607, 7608 or 7609; the castings and forgings under 7616.99.51. The quotas also will allow 149,482,620 kilograms of unwrought aluminum under subheading 7061.10, and 454,050,450 kilograms of alloyed unwrought aluminum under subheading 7601.20. Aluminum imports from UAE will not be subject to the 10% tariff under Section 232, since the country agreed to using quotas as an export restraint.
Even though the Joe Biden administration will have a very different approach to trade than did the Trump administration, that will not mean a wholesale rejection of what its predecessors did, analysts said during a Center for Strategic and International Studies webinar Jan. 21.