Office of the United States Trade Representative April 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Effective July 6, 2018, the U.S. Trade Representative imposed additional duties on goods of China with an annual trade value of approximately $34 billion as part of the action in the Section 301 investigation of China's acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation. The U.S. Trade Representative initiated the exclusion process in July 2018 and granted multiple sets of exclusions. He granted the sixth set of exclusions in July 2019, which are scheduled to expire on July 9, 2020. The U.S. Trade Representative has decided to consider a possible extension for up to 12 months of particular exclusions granted in July 2019. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) invites public comment on whether to extend particular exclusions.

In September 2018, the U.S. Trade Representative imposed additional duties on goods of China with an annual trade value of approximately $200 billion as part of the action in the Section 301 investigation of China's acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation. The U.S. Trade Representative initiated a product exclusion process in June 2019, and interested persons have submitted requests for the exclusion of specific products. This notice announces the U.S. Trade Representative's determination to grant certain exclusion requests, as specified in the Annex to this notice, and corrects a technical error in a previously announced exclusion.

On January 23, 2018, the President imposed a safeguard measure on imports of certain solar products pursuant to a Section 201 investigation. On February 14, 2018, the U.S. Trade Representative established procedures for interested persons to request product- specific exclusions from application of the safeguard measure and to comment on the submitted requests. Based on the requests and comments received, the U.S. Trade Representative granted certain requests on June 13, 2019, including a request to exclude from the safeguard measure bifacial solar panels that consist only of bifacial solar cells. On January 27, 2020, the U.S. Trade Representative established procedures to consider whether to maintain, withdraw, or take some other action with respect to the exclusion of bifacial solar panels from the safeguard measure. Based on an evaluation of the comments received, and responses to those comments, and in consultation with the Secretaries of Commerce and Energy, the U.S. Trade Representative has determined that the bifacial solar panel exclusion is undermining the objectives of the safeguard measure. Accordingly, the U.S. Trade Representative will request that the U.S. Court of International Trade lift the order preliminarily enjoining the withdrawal from entering into effect.

Effective July 6, 2018, the U.S. Trade Representative imposed additional duties on goods of China with an annual trade value of approximately $34 billion as part of the action in the Section 301 investigation of China's acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation. The U.S. Trade Representative initiated the exclusion process in July 2018 and, to date, has granted ten sets of exclusions under the $34 billion action. The third set of exclusions was published in April 2019 and will expire in April 2020. On February 5, 2020, the U.S. Trade Representative established a process for the public to comment on whether to extend particular exclusions granted in April 2019 for up to 12 months. This notice announces the U.S. Trade Representative's determination to extend certain exclusions for 12 months.