Office of the United States Trade Representative 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. The fourth set of exclusions was granted in May 2019, and are scheduled to expire on May 14, 2020. The U.S. Trade Representative has decided to consider a possible extension for up to 12 months of particular exclusions granted in May 2019. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) invites public comment on whether to extend particular exclusions.

Effective October 18, 2019, the U.S. Trade Representative imposed additional duties on certain products of the EU and certain EU member States in this Section 301 investigation to enforce U.S. WTO rights in the Large Civil Aircraft dispute. On December 12, 2019, the U.S. Trade Representative announced a review of the Section 301 action and requested public comments. Based on this review, the U.S. Trade Representative has determined to revise the action being taken by increasing the rate of additional duties on certain large civil aircraft, and by modifying the list of other products of certain current and former EU member States subject to additional 25 percent duties.

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's determination included a decision to establish a product exclusion process. The U.S. Trade Representative initiated the exclusion process in July 2018, and stakeholders have submitted requests for the exclusion of specific products. In December 2018, and March, April, May, June, July, September, October, and December 2019, the U.S. Trade Representative granted exclusion requests. This notice announces the U.S. Trade Representative's determination to grant additional exclusions, as specified in the Annex to this notice, and makes amendments to certain notes in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). The U.S. Trade Representative will continue to issue decisions as necessary.

Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, the U.S. Trade Representative is publishing a notice updating the designations of World Trade Organization (WTO) Members that are eligible for special de minimis countervailable subsidy and negligible import volume standards under the countervailing duty (CVD) law. This rule removes the regulations of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), that contain the designations superseded by the notice.

In September of 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 technical errors in previously announced exclusions.

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 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. This notice establishes procedures for interested persons to submit comments, and respond to comments, on whether the U.S. Trade Representative should maintain the exclusion of bifacial solar panels from the safeguard measure, withdraw the exclusion, or take some other action within his authority with respect to this exclusion.

In September of 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 ministerial error in a previously announced exclusion.