The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is seeking public comment on potentially extending Section 301 List 1 exclusions for an additional year. The exclusions are currently set to expire on December 28, 2019.

The focus of USTR’s evaluation will be whether, despite the imposition of additional duties, the particular product remains available only from China. Commenters should address the following points:

• Whether the particular product and/or a comparable product is available from sources in the United States and/or in third countries.
• Any changes in the global supply chain since July 2018 – when the original duties went into effect – with respect to the particular product, or any other relevant industry developments.
• The efforts, if any, the importers or U.S. purchasers have undertaken since July 2018 to source the product from the United States or third countries.

Comments can be submitted through an online portal set to open November 1, 2019 at noon EDT. The portal can be found at http://www.regulations.gov and all comments must be submitted by November 30, 2019 at 11:59 PM EDT. The Docket Number is USTR-2019-0019.

The notice from USTR can be found here.

Trans-Border will continue to monitor the situation. If you have any questions, please reach out to Bill Carey, Import Compliance Manager, at bcarey@tbgfs.com or (800) 493-9444.