The only two countries in the world whose trade deals with the U.S. are still being honored are Mexico and Canada, a Mexican trade expert said, meaning the impact of fentanyl tariffs, steel and aluminum Section 232 tariffs, and auto and auto parts tariffs on Mexico's exports to the U.S. is not as dramatic as initially feared. Still, nearly 30% of the $505.9 billion in goods exported to the U.S. last year would face 25% additional tariffs now, either because the goods are subject to a Section 232 action, or they are goods that cannot meet USMCA rules of origin, an expert said.
President Donald Trump said on social media early May 9, "80% Tariff on China seems right! Up to Scott B." He was referring to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who will meet with China's vice premier in Switzerland on Saturday and Sunday to talk trade.
The 10% tariff on the first 100,000 autos exported annually from the U.K. will be "all-in," according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. CBP couldn't clarify whether that would be done by removing most favored nation duties on U.K. autos and then applying a 10% tariff rate, or whether the additional tariff rate for in-quota autos would be 7.5%.
The Commerce Department is beginning a Section 232 investigation into possible tariffs on commercial aircraft and jet engines, including parts, it said in a notice released May 9. The agency will consider “the effects on national security of imports of commercial aircraft and jet engines, and parts for commercial aircraft and jet engines,” as well as “whether additional measures, including tariffs or quotas, are necessary to protect national security,” among other things. Comments are due June 3.
Ashlande Gelin, a former attorney at the Commerce Department's Office of the Chief Counsel for Trade Enforcement and Compliance, left the agency to join Sidley Austin as a managing associate, she announced May 8 on LinkedIn. Gelin joined Commerce in 2021 after serving as a law clerk and attorney in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
PKDC LLC, a Colorado-based furniture distributor, accused China-based ocean carrier Cosco Shipping Lines Co. of charging “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in unfair demurrage and detention fees, according to a complaint filed with the Federal Maritime Commission this month.
U.S. and Vietnamese officials met May 7 in Vietnam to discuss boosting trade between the two countries and possibly beginning negotiations on a new trade agreement, according to an unofficial translation of a Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade notice. Vietnamese Trade Minister Nguyen Hong Dien told Marc Knapper, the U.S. ambassador to Vietnam, that the two nations should “promptly remove difficulties and obstacles” and “create favorable conditions for businesses in cooperation projects, as well as the purchase and sale of essential products.”
The European Commission opened a public consultation regarding a list of U.S. imports that could become subject to tariffs in response to the flurry of U.S. trade action, should talks with the White House fall through, the commission announced. The list covers over $107 billion worth of U.S. imports, including a "broad range of industrial and agricultural products," it said.
The International Trade Commission published notices in the May 8 Federal Register on the following antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) injury, Section 337 patent or other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will be in another ITT article):
A listing of recent Commerce Department antidumping and countervailing duty messages posted on CBP's website May 7, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at CBP's ADCVD Search page.