The U.S. government, aware that many goods made with forced labor are inputs to finished goods, is working both to identify those inputs and to help importers understand that their goods could be banned from import as traceability becomes more possible.
Senate appropriators marked up a bill that would spend $2 million more a year on the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and $4.1 million more on the International Trade Commission, in each case matching the president's budget request.
African journalists asked Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa Constance Hamilton and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of African Affairs Joy Basu if their countries would stay in or return to the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., introduced a bill that would require the president to impose tariffs of at least 500% on all products imported from countries that buy oil or petroleum products from Iran.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is setting FY 2025 country allocations for imports under tariff-rate quotas for cane sugar and refined sugars. The FY 2025 import TRQ for raw cane sugar was established at 1,117,195 metric tons raw value (MTRV), the minimum amount to which the U.S. is committed under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Uruguay Round Agreements (see 2406130053). The USTR now allocates this TRQ among supplying countries and customs areas, as follows: Argentina 46,260; Australia 89,293; Barbados 7,531; Belize 11,834; Bolivia 8,606; Brazil 155,993; Colombia 25,819; Congo (Brazzaville) 7,258; Costa Rica 16,137; Cote d'Ivoire 7,258; Dominican Republic 189,343; Ecuador 11,834; El Salvador 27,971; Eswatini (Swaziland) 17,213; Fiji 9,682; Gabon 7,258; Guatemala 51,639; Guyana 12,910; Haiti 7,258; Honduras 10,758; India 8,606; Jamaica 11,834; Madagascar 7,258; Malawi 10,758; Mauritius 12,910; Mexico 7,258; Mozambique 13,986; Panama 31,199; Papua New Guinea 7,258; Paraguay 7,258; Peru 44,108; Philippines 145,235; South Africa 24,744; St. Kitts & Nevis 7,258; Taiwan 12,910; Thailand 15,061; Trinidad-Tobago 7,531; Uruguay 7,258; Zimbabwe 12,910.
At the opening of the 2024 African Growth and Opportunity Act Forum, U.S. and African trade leaders emphasized the importance of reauthorizing AGOA before its expiration in 2025 and discussed changes they would like to see to it to increase utilization, strengthen supply chains and support economic growth.
The U.S. has suspended liquidation for goods from the Impro Industries Mexico facility in San Luis Potosi, a Chinese-owned factory that makes parts used in automotive, energy, medical and agricultural sectors.
The Canadian press noted that Canada is working to convince officials that might serve in a future Trump administration to spare Canadian goods from a global 10% tariff, but former U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer, who recently traveled to Canada, has said Canada won't necessarily be exempted.
Dan Ujczo, senior counsel in Thompson Hine's trade practice, said he expects a second Biden or Trump administration to say it won't authorize USMCA to continue for another 16 years in 2026, when the trade pact is up for review.
The government of Mexico has asked the U.S. to exempt Mexican bifacial solar panels from a global safeguard tariff. Economy Secretary Raquel Buenrostro noted that USMCA, or T-MEC, as they call it in Mexico, has rules in this regard. The July 12 press release didn't spell it out, but safeguards are only to be applied to Mexico and Canada if their imports are integral to the injury to U.S. producers; the U.S. eventually reversed the solar panel safeguard on all Canadian panels (see 2207070041).