Customs & Import Compliance Blog

Two years after declaring a national emergency and instructing the US Department of Commerce (Commerce) to pause the imposition of AD/CVD duties applicable to certain imports of crystalline silicon photovoltaic solar cells and modules from four countries in Southeast Asia, President Joe Biden announced on May 14 that his administration is ending the so-called “solar bridge” created through Presidential Proclamation 10414.

Following last week’s long-awaited report on the statutory four-year review of the Section 301 tariffs, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) issued a Federal Register notice on the proposed modifications to the existing tariffs on imports from China under Section 301.

In an unprecedented, but anticipated, move last Friday, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) expanded the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List with the addition of 26 new Chinese textile companies in one single action.

Welcome to the May 2024 issue of “As the (Customs and Trade) World Turns,” our monthly newsletter where we compile essential updates from the customs and trade world over the past month.

In the latest episode of Five Questions, Five Answers, Birgit Matthiesen sits down with Stephen Hanley, senior writer at CleanTechnica.com, to discuss the electric vehicle (EV) revolution and the concept of the “S curve.”  

As a follow up to our March 1 alert on Imported Products Containing an Aluminum Extrusion Part or Any Extruded Aluminum, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) has announced the preliminary antidumping dumping duties affecting exporters and producers from 14 countries.

Welcome to the April 2024 issue of “As the (Customs and Trade) World Turns,” our monthly newsletter where we compile essential updates from the customs and trade world over the past month.

On March 26, Eastman Chemical Company (Petitioner) filed antidumping duty (AD) petitions on dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP) from Taiwan, Turkey, Malaysia, and Poland.

Trade tensions between Washington and US trading partners, notably China, have complicated many supply chain decisions — what to buy, from where, made by whom, and at what tariff cost.

Welcome to the first issue of “As the (Customs and Trade) World Turns,” our new monthly newsletter where we compile essential updates from the customs and trade world over the past month.

On March 14, 2024, Corteva Agriscience LLC (Petitioner) filed an antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) petitioners on 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid (2,4-D) from the People’s Republic of China and India.

In the latest installment of Five Questions, Five Answers, host Birgit Matthiesen is joined by International Trade & Investment Associate Jessica DiPietro for a deep dive into the complex world of aluminum extrusions.

If your imported product contains an aluminum extrusion part or a part that includes extruded aluminum, it may be subject to additional duties effective March 11, 2024. Here’s what you need to know.

Two years after the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine and one week after the death of opposition politician and anticorruption activist Aleksey Navalny, the US government announced a new raft of sanctions and export controls targeting nearly 600 individuals and entities.

In the last few years, changes to the United States enforcement stance on the forced labor import ban authorized by 19 U.S.C. § 1307 and passage of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) have fundamentally changed the way that companies operating in the United States conduct business operations worldwide.

On February 14, Cornerstone Chemical Company (Petitioner) filed antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) petitions on melamine from Germany, India, Japan, the Netherlands, Qatar, and Trinidad and Tobago.

In this installment of Five Questions, Five Answers, Birgit Matthiesen is joined by Dr. Austin Brown, the Office Director at the US Department of Energy (DOE) Vehicle Technologies Office.

In the latest installment of Five Questions, Five Answers, Birgit Matthiesen is joined by Leah Scarpelli, a Partner with the firm’s International Trade & Investment Practice.

Critical minerals — the lithium, graphite, cobalt, manganese, and other key minerals that are later processed into battery-grade chemicals — represent the essential ingredients in any electric vehicle (EV) battery.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), in many ways, can be a game changer for many automotive companies. First and foremost, eligibility of products deemed USMCA compliant benefit from zero US import tariffs.

For readers who may not be fully apprised of what these tariffs are, we offer a short summary.

We chose to include a discussion of this important but lesser understood policy area because of the likelihood of their impact — both adverse and positive — on many companies’ procurement and production plans.

The Electric Mobility industry is on track for another exciting year. However, current and forthcoming US agency regulations continue to inject confusion and costs in critical supply decisions, for which legal tools can provide near- and long-term solutions.

Aluminum is clearly an important material for the industry as there is an objective for making vehicles as light as possible. Aluminum issues may start with Tariff Classification and Country of Origin questions, and can lead to more complex issues, including Section 232 tariffs or other high-tariff trade barriers.

Recent government actions illustrate that US-China trade relations will continue to be a focus as the United States enters an election year.