On March 22, President Trump issued two new Proclamations exempting Australia, Argentina, South Korea, Brazil, and EU member countries from the Section 232 aluminum and steel tariffs, which enter into force March 23, until May 1, 2018. A statement issued by the White House said the president made the decision “based on factors including ongoing discussions regarding measures to reduce global excess capacity in steel and aluminum production by addressing its root causes.” President Trump…

On August 18, 2017, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) launched a formal investigation pursuant to Section 301 of the Tariff Act of 1974 on the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The probe sought to determine whether the acts, policies, and practices of the PRC related to technology transfer, intellectual property, trade secrets, and innovation were discriminatory towards U.S. firms and undermined the United States’ ability to compete fairly in the global…

U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Robert Lighthizer initiated an investigation on August 18, 2017 pursuant to Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. The probe will determine whether acts, policies, and practices of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) related to technology transfer, intellectual property, trade secrets, and innovation are discriminatory towards U.S. firms by undermining the United States’ ability to compete fairly in the global market. Section 301 allows the President to retaliate…

The president’s decision last week to impose a 25 percent global tariff on certain steel imports, and a 10 percent global tariff on certain aluminum imports, includes the following products: Aluminum products within the scope of the global tariffs: Primary unwrought aluminum, not alloyed – 7601.10 Primary unwrought aluminum, alloyed – 7601.20 Semi-finished aluminum bars, rods, and profiles – 7604 Aluminum wire – 7605 Semi-finished aluminum plates, sheets, and strip – 7606 Foil of all…

On March 8, President Trump officially signed proclamations imposing a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum pursuant to Section 232(b) of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. The signing of the proclamations came exactly one week after the president abruptly announced his decision to impose the global tariffs during a White House meeting with key steel and aluminum executives. The effective date of the tariffs is March…

On March 1, President Trump abruptly announced his decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports pursuant to Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. The day started with conflicting news reports as to whether the president would announce his decision to impose tariffs, followed by the spontaneous announcement by President Trump during a White House meeting with key U.S. steel and aluminum executives. According to those in attendance, the president announced…