On July 10, 2018, the USTR published a 3rd list of products from China that are to be assessed tariffs. This group of products will be assessed tariffs at a rate of 10%. Note that this is different from the 25% rate to be assessed on list 1 and list 2 products. This 3rd list of products is much broader than the first two lists. The 3rd list includes many common consumer products including, but not limited to various food products, luggage, headwear, wood products (including wood flooring), various electronic products that had been initially excluded from list 1 and 2, furniture, and lighting. The main general categories of items that are absent and currently remain unaffected by the first three Trump tariff lists are apparel (chapter 61 & 62), footwear (chapter 64), and toys (chapter 95). I HIGHLY encourage all importers to study list 3 as there is a very good chance that their product is on the list.
As with the 1st list and 2nd list, this new 3rd list of products will be subject to a public commentary period as follows:
- July 27, 2018: Due date for filing requests to appear and a summary of expected testimony at the public hearing, and for filing pre-hearing submissions.
- August 17, 2018: Due date for submission of written comments.
- August 20-23, 2018: The Section 301 Committee will convene a public hearing in the main hearing room of the U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington DC, 20436 beginning at 9:30 am.
- August 30, 2018: Due date for submission of post-hearing rebuttal comments.
Importers who have products that are on list 3 are encouraged to send commentary to the USTR during this comment period. You may wish to consult a trade attorney to assist with this process.
We also sent a message earlier about an exclusion process for those who have products under list#1. We do not know yet whether a similar process will be available for products under list#2 or list#3. Stay tuned. We will keep you updated.