Driven by a newly aggressive “America First” trade policy under the Trump administration, global trade barriers are increasing rapidly, with proposals for new tariffs and non-tariff barriers issued by U.S. and foreign...more
7/26/2018
/ Aluminum Sales ,
China ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Exports ,
Imports ,
Public Comment ,
Section 232 ,
Section 301 ,
Steel Industry ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR ,
WTO
The United States will reimpose sanctions against Iran to implement President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a multilateral agreement under which Iran agreed to curb...more
President Donald Trump’s recent decision to impose a wide range of restrictive new measures against China, in response to China’s practices involving U.S. intellectual property and technology, creates new risks, barriers—and...more
3/30/2018
/ CFIUS ,
China ,
Foreign Investment ,
Imports ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
National Security ,
Presidential Memorandum ,
Tariffs ,
Technology Sector ,
Trump Administration ,
USTR ,
WTO
An importer of natural gas from Canada filed suit on February 23, 2018, alleging that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) unlawfully denied preferential treatment for its imports under the North American Free Trade...more
3/8/2018
/ Acquisitions ,
Canada ,
Cross-Border ,
De Minimis Claims ,
Importers ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
NAFTA ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Terms and Conditions
Significant antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVDs) on imports of softwood lumber from Canada will continue following the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) final affirmative injury determination made...more
Retailers are looking ahead to the holiday season, but many are also watching the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) renegotiation, which is ambitiously (and improbably) slated to conclude around the holiday season....more
8/31/2017
/ Anti-Dumping Duty ,
Countervailing Duties ,
Country of Origin ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Holidays ,
Imports ,
Manufacturers ,
NAFTA ,
Negotiations ,
Retail Market ,
Retailers ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Policy ,
Trump Administration
A recent federal appeals court decision addresses a familiar issue for many companies: When can a U.S. exporter be liable for a product that is re-exported to a sanctioned country, such as Iran? This update summarizes the...more
6/9/2017
/ Appeals ,
Corporate Liability ,
Distributors ,
Due Diligence ,
Electronics ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
ITSR ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Sanction Violations ,
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
On May 18, 2017, United States Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer notified Congress that he is seeking to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The notification triggers a 90-day consultation...more
President Trump has now appointed the senior members of his administration (some of whom remain subject to U.S. Senate confirmation) who will help him develop, coordinate and enforce U.S. trade policy. Examining the...more
1/20/2017
/ Administrative Appointments ,
China ,
Currency Manipulation ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Exports ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Imports ,
Mexico ,
NAFTA ,
Popular ,
Section 301 ,
Tariffs ,
Tax Reform ,
Trade Act of 1974 ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Relations ,
Trans-Pacific Partnership ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
WTO
Following a recent breakdown of bilateral negotiations, a group of U.S. companies calling itself COALITION (Committee Overseeing Action for Lumber International Trade or Negotiations) filed antidumping (AD) and countervailing...more
President-elect Donald Trump has promised action that could drastically change the rules for U.S. importers and exporters, foreign shippers to the United States and service providers. Whether and how these promises translate...more
11/23/2016
/ China ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Export Controls ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Imports ,
Mexico ,
NAFTA ,
Supply Chain ,
Trade Agreements ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
WTO
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued new interim regulations to remedy and penalize evasion of antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) orders. The regulations, which became effective August 22, 2016,...more
This week Congress amended U.S. customs law to create new risks and opportunities for companies importing goods into the United States. Most significantly, the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act (TFTEA) will...more
The United States suspended certain “secondary sanctions” against Iran that apply to non-U.S. companies for transactions that take place outside of the United States and do not involve U.S. persons on “Implementation Day,”...more
One month after announcing the conclusion of negotiations, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) today released the full text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP). The TPP’s 12 partner...more
This week, the 12 Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) member countries decided the final terms of what they report is a far-reaching agreement (Agreement or TPP Agreement). The 12 TPP countries are Australia, Brunei Darussalam,...more
10/8/2015
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Biotechnology ,
Copyright ,
Country of Origin ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Customs ,
Dispute Resolution ,
E-Commerce ,
Environmental Policies ,
Federal Procurement Systems ,
Financial Institutions ,
Healthcare ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investment ,
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Telecommunications ,
Textiles ,
Trade Agreements ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Promotion Authority ,
Trade Restrictions ,
Trans-Pacific Partnership ,
Transparency ,
USTR ,
WTO
On November 10, United States Trade Representative Michael Froman announced a major breakthrough in negotiations with China to eliminate tariffs on information technology products by expanding the scope of the International...more
U.S. government agencies announced this week that they have suspended issuing export licenses to companies sending or releasing sensitive goods, services and technology to Russia. This development will prevent companies from...more
Events are rapidly evolving with respect to Russia’s recent military incursion into, and subsequent annexation of, Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. The Obama Administration considers Russia’s acts to be clear violations of...more
On December 31, 2013, SolarWorld Industries America (SolarWorld), a U.S. manufacturer of solar panels, petitioned the Department of Commerce (Commerce) and the International Trade Commission (ITC) for additional tariffs on...more
The United States agreed to suspend certain sanctions against Iran over the weekend as part of an agreement to curb the Iranian nuclear program. The agreement, which provides for a six-month first step towards a...more