24-hour hotline : 23 922 922
e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk
Ref. : EIC 111/2/18
EIC 111/3
EIC 111/3/13
CR EIC 111/1/13/3
12 December 2024
(Updated on 16 December 2024)
Dear Sirs,
Further to Commercial Information Circular No. 765/2024 dated 20 September 2024 on the US Trade Representative (USTR)'s request for public comments on its proposed Section 301 tariff rate increases for certain tungsten products, wafers and polysilicon, the USTR announced on 11 December 2024 tariff increases under Section 301 for imports from Mainland China of the subject products. These tariff increases will take effect on 1 January 2025.
2.Pursuant to the USTR's Section 301 investigation findings released in March 2018, the US has imposed additional tariffs on certain Mainland products in four tranches (Lists 1-3: 25%; List 4A: 7.5%) since July 2018. Subsequently, taking into consideration USTR's statutory four-year review findings of the Section 301 investigation on Mainland China and at the direction of the US President, the USTR issued a Federal Register (FR) notice on 18 September 2024 announcing certain modifications to the actions taken in the Section 301 investigation, including imposing additional Section 301 duties or increase the rate of existing Section 301 duties on certain Mainland products in 14 strategic sectors, with effect from 27 September 2024, 1 January 2025 or 1 January 2026; and proposing to increase Section 301 tariff rates on five subheadings of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States covering certain tungsten products, wafers, and polysilicon. On 19 September 2024, the USTR published a notice inviting comments from interested persons with respect to the proposed modifications. For details, please refer to CICs No. 378/2024, No. 428/2024, No. 624/2024, No. 750/2024 and No. 765/2024 of 16 May 2024, 23 May 2024, 31 July 2024, 16 September 2024 and 20 September 2024 respectively.
3.On 11 December 2024, the USTR announced tariff increases under Section 301 for imports from Mainland China of certain tungsten products, wafers, and polysilicon. The rates for solar wafers and polysilicon will increase to 50%, and the rates for certain tungsten products will increase to 25%. Tariff increases on the tariff subheadings set out in Annex A to the USTR's notice are applicable with respect to products that are entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 1 January 2025.
4.For further details, please refer to the USTR's press release and the USTR's notice in the FR:
USTR's press release (11 December 2024)
https://ustr.gov/about-us/policy-offices/press-office/press-releases/2024/december/ustr-increases-tariffs-under-section-301-tungsten-products-wafers-and-polysilicon-concluding
USTR's notice in the FR (16 December 2024)
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-12-16/pdf/2024-29462.pdf
5.For enquiries concerning the content of this circular, please contact us at telephone number 2398 5405.
Yours faithfully,
(Miss Kwany KOU)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry
Note: While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the above information, the Department cannot guarantee this to be so and will not be held liable for any reliance placed on the same.