NAFEM helps secure more exclusions from Section 301 China import tariffs

NAFEM members gained more relief from Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports as the United States Trade Representative (USTR) published two, separate Federal Register notices announcing additional exclusions Oct. 2. In total, NAFEM and the industry have successfully secured 323 product exclusions from the tariffs.

For List 1 an additional 179 products were excluded from the tariffs as the result of NAFEM’s and members’ comments. For List 2, 71 more product exclusions were added, bringing NAFEM’s list of successes up to 138 product exclusions from that list.

A complete comparison of NAFEM requests and exclusions granted to-date is available here.

The approved exclusions are available to all importers of the excluded products; they are not limited to the entity that made the exclusion request. Tariff exclusions are valid for one year after the publication date of the Federal Register notice. List 1 exclusions are retroactive to July 6, 2018. List 2 exclusions are retroactive to Aug. 23, 2018.

To determine whether an exclusion applies to imported products, members can search USTR’s product exclusion list. If a company finds an exclusion that applies to its imported products, that company should work with its customs broker to notify U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Basic instructions for this process are here.

Information on the current status of U.S.- China trade negotiations is included in the What We’re Watching section below.