USTR to Open Comment Period on China Tariffs

As required by law, the USTR is reviewing Section 301 Tariffs on products imported from China.  As part of the process, USTR is seeking comments from interested parties on:

  1. The effectiveness of the tariffs in achieving the goals of the trade action
  2. Other actions or modifications that could be taken that would be more effective
  3. The effects on various aspects of the U.S. economy.

Comments will be accepted beginning on November 15, 2022 and the comment portal will close on January 17, 2023.  The Federal Register notice on Section 301 tariff comments can be found here and USTR posted questions for the docket to provide guidance on Section 301 comment submissions.

Quick Background

Since former President Trump announced tariffs on Chinese imports in 2017, more than $300 billion in imports have been impacted.  The Exclusion process to remove products from the tariff list was seriously flawed.  An inspector general investigation found USTR did not offer explanations and justifications for denying exclusions for almost all consumer goods on List 3 & 4A.  As a result, Section 301 tariffs have led to a quadrupling of the trade-weighted average tariff rate Americans pay for Chinese imports. USTR has promised a more transparent and consistent exclusion process but has been very slow in announcing it.  The comments will guide USTR on Section 301 tariffs going forward.

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