On August 7, 2018, the United States Trade Representative (“USTR”) announced it had finalized a list of $16 billion worth of imports from China that will be subject to a 25% additional tariff.[1] These tariffs are in addition to the previously implemented tariffs on $34 billion worth of imports from China,[2] as well as the proposed tariffs on $200 billion more imports from China. All rounds of tariffs have been aimed at stopping China’s unfair trade practices related to the forced transfer of American technology and intellectual property.

The announcement came as a bit of a surprise to some due to the USTR’s quick turnaround for publishing the final list of products in spite of the large number of public comments received. The list changed very little from the original proposed list and now includes 279 tariff lines, down from the 284 tariff lines that were originally proposed. The updated list comes following a period of public comments, as well as a public hearing in which several parties testified.

Importantly, these additional duties will take effect on August 23, 2018. The USTR will release a Federal Register notice in the next few days which will include the requirements for filing exclusion requests for particular products. 

For more information on these tariffs or assistance with the filing of exclusion requests, please do not hesitate to contact us.