The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is seeking comments on whether it should reinstate hundreds of Section 301 product exclusions that expired either late last year or early this year. The commenting period begins October 12, and parties can submit comments until December 1.
USTR will evaluate the possible reinstatement of certain exclusions on a case-by-case basis and focus on the following criteria.
- Whether—despite the imposition of additional duties beginning in September 2018—the product remains available only from China
- How much of the product has been imported from China over the last three years and at what price
- Whether Chinese suppliers lowered their prices for the goods after tariffs were imposed
- How much of the product was bought from other countries in the last three years
- The purchaser’s gross revenues for the last three years
- Whether the product is an input or not
The agency is also asking for commenters to weigh in on how long the exclusions should last. Comments can be submitted here. If you have questions, please reach out to your Mohawk Global customer service representative.