President Trump announced via social media on August 1, 2019 that Section 301 duties of 10 percent will go into effect for List 4 products on September 1, 2019. This covers the remaining tariffs that are not currently covered by Lists 1, 2 or 3, and affects $300 billion of annual trade value.
The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) posted the proposed list, which covers all apparel, footwear, and manufactured textile products, but excludes pharmaceuticals, certain pharmaceutical inputs, select medical goods, rare earth materials, and critical minerals.
The proposed tariffs in List 4 includes 3,794 8-digit tariffs and 18 10-digit tariffs.
The USTR has accepted 2932 comments on their proposed list, but a final list has yet to be issued.
The announcement came after the U.S. returned from meetings with China where they found China failed to meet commitments to stop the flow of fentanyl into the U.S., and to purchase U.S. agricultural products. The U.S. will continue to negotiate with China to arrive at a comprehensive trade deal.
The USTR has not announced an exclusion process.
Companies should explore legal options to reduce or eliminate exposure.
Please see our previous Trade News Articles of List 4:
Posted Jul 15, 2019: Postponed – Potential List 4 for Section 301 on Chinese Goods
Posted May 14, 2019: List 4 Section 301 Additional Duties Proposed for Remaining Chinese Origin Imports
Section 301 additional duties apply to certain Chinese originproduct, and were initiated due to China’s acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation, which threaten the long-term competitiveness of the U.S.
If you have any questions regarding List 4 products of Section 301, Livingston can help! Please contact either your Livingston account manager or our regulatory affairs group at usregaffairs@livingstonintl.com