The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced today that certain additional 10 percent tariffs originally set to take effect Sept. 1 would be delayed until Dec. 15, while various other products would be removed from that list entirely. The report cited health and security factors as the reason for the change.
While the USTR didn’t detail exactly which products would be removed from the tariff list all together, it said it would carry out an “exclusion process for products subject to additional tariff,” according to CNBC.
China’s Commerce Ministry reportedly said that the country’s Vice Premier Liu He spoke with USTR Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and the group agreed to meet again in two weeks, a few days short of the planned talks after the tariffs went into effect in September.
Here’s the full statement from the USTR:
Washington, D.C. – The United States Trade Representative (USTR) today announced the next steps in the process of imposing an additional tariff of 10 percent on approximately $300 billion of Chinese imports.
On May 17, 2019, USTR published a list of products imported from China that would be potentially subject to an additional 10 percent tariff. This new tariff will go into effect on September 1 as announced by President Trump on August 1.
Certain products are being removed from the tariff list based on health, safety, national security and other factors and will not face additional tariffs of 10 percent.
Further, as part of USTR’s public comment and hearing process, it was determined that the tariff should be delayed to December 15 for certain articles. Products in this group include, for example, cell phones, laptop computers, video game consoles, certain toys, computer monitors, and certain items of footwear and clothing.
USTR intends to conduct an exclusion process for products subject to the additional tariff.
The USTR will publish on its website today, and in the Federal Register as soon as possible, additional details and lists of the tariff lines affected by this announcement.
The full list of items whose 10 percent tariffs have been delayed until Dec. 15 is available here. That list features several items that could be related to the promotional products industry, including:
- Plastic office and school supplies
- Bamboo cutting boards
- Printed cards (except postcards)
- Paper or paperboard calendars printed in lithographic process
- Various textiles and fabrics
- Blankets made of synthetic fibers
The list also includes a variety of camping goods, glassware and consumer electronics, along with several pages of apparel items. The USTR has not yet released the list of products that will be newly exempt from the 10 percent tariffs, but it’s likely these will be items related to health or national security.
We’ll continue to follow this story and update it as it develops.
