The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced that it will continue to extend the Section 301 tariff exemption for some Chinese imports and will push back the expiration date of the exemption to September 30 next year.
The US Trade Representative’s Office said in a statement on Friday (16) that the tariff exemption, originally scheduled to expire at the end of the year, will apply to 352 Chinese imports, including pumps, compressors, purifiers air and water filters and valves and various motors. Another 197 tariff exemptions on products have lapsed.
When the former US president was in office, Trump cited Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act to impose tariffs on billions of dollars of Chinese imports. After taking office, the Biden administration continued to maintain these tariffs as bargaining chip against China.
Tensions between the US and China have eased since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan earlier this year, but the two sides are growing closer as China files a lawsuit at the World Trade Organization (WTO ) on US chip export controls. face new challenges.
Under US law, the implementation period for Section 301 fees is four years, and unless the USTR receives a request to continue implementation, it will automatically expire after expiration.
The USTR received hundreds of documents earlier this year calling for the continuation of tariffs on China and last month it began soliciting public comments to gauge the effectiveness of the tariff increase. The deadline for comments is January 17.
