House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said July 8 that he hopes to have a "significant package of China-related legislation" signed into law this year, including measures to "punish" Chinese military firms that provide material support to Russia and Iran.
The Philippines last month updated import duty rates for a range of commodities, including a lower tariff rate for rice, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service said in a recent report. The country lowered its rice duty from 35% to 15%, USDA said, adding that the tariff changes are meant to “augment supply, manage prices, and temper inflationary pressure of various commodities.”
A former top trade negotiator in Mexico, Juan Carlos Baker Pineda, said he doesn't think the review of the USMCA will be about fine-tuning or technical changes to the trade pact.
Canada this week launched a 30-day consultation period as it decides whether to impose additional duties or take other measures against Chinese electronic vehicle imports. The consultations, which began July 2 and will run through Aug. 1, “seek views on potential policy responses,” Canada said, including new tariffs on a range of battery, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell electric vehicles.
The Census Bureau on July 1 updated its tables of Schedule B and Harmonized Tariff Schedule codes that are no longer valid for the Automated Export System, the agency said in an email to industry. AES will accept shipments with outdated codes during a 30-day grace period that began when the codes expired June 30, Census said. Reporting an outdated code after the grace period will “result in a fatal error.”
The free trade agreement between China and Serbia will take effect July 1, China's Ministry of Commerce announced, according to an unofficial translation. The ministry said the deal will scrap tariffs on 90% of goods, of which over 60% will be eliminated July 1. The deal also includes chapters on "rules of origin, customs procedures and trade facilitation, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, trade remedies, dispute settlement, intellectual property protection, investment cooperation, competition, etc.," the ministry said.
The EU extended its steel safeguard measure until June 30, 2026, the European Commission's Directorate-General for Trade announced. The measure imposes tariff rate quotas "above which a 25% duty is levied on imports." The TRQs were imposed in response to the U.S. Section 232 measures.
The gaps in trade policies between the U.S. and Europe, despite their agreement on the problems, and the difficulty of improving trade relations with major developing countries were grappled with this week by a panel of experts from the U.S. and Europe.
The Federal Maritime Commission recently reminded carriers about the requirements they must meet to maintain their status before the commission as a vessel-operating common carrier (VOCC), warning they may face penalties if they fail to meet those requirements. The FMC said carriers publishing automated tariffs as VOCCs must “operate at least one vessel in common carriage in the foreign commerce of the United States to maintain their status.” Companies offering common carriage but that don’t operate at least one vessel are considered non-vessel-operating common carriers, the commission said, and must follow the licensing, registration and financial responsibility requirements for NVOCCs. “Operating as an NVOCC and failing to meet all relevant requirements may result in a civil monetary penalty.”
Cote d'Ivoire liberalized 1,080 tariff lines on EU goods under the EU-Cote d'Ivoire interim economic partnership agreement, retroactively effective from Jan. 1, the European Commission announced this week. The new tariff cuts cover "mechanical and electrical machinery, as well as appliances, plastics, and chemical products," the commission said. The number of liberalized tariff lines under the deal is now 3,385, or about 55% of total tariff lines. The final two tariff liberalization moves are set for 2026 and 2029, which will lead to reductions to around 88% of tariff lines.