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Trade and Industry Department The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Brand Hong Kong - Asia world city

Commercial Information Circulars

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

21 March 2019
(updated on 26 March 2019)

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 209/2019

US : Section 301 Tariffs on Mainland Products Worth US$34 billion - Second Batch of Products Excluded from 25% Tariffs

Further to Commercial Information Circular (CIC) No. 1163/2018 of 28 December 2018 regarding the first batch of products to be excluded from the additional tariffs of 25% imposed by the US on certain Mainland products worth approximately US$34 billion under the Section 301 investigation, the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced on 20 March 2019 the second batch of products to be excluded from the additional tariffs. These product exclusions will be retroactive to 6 July 2018, and remain in place until 24 March 2020. The USTR will continue to issue decisions on pending request on a periodic basis.

DETAILS

2.On 6 July 2018, the US imposed an additional tariff of 25% on 818 tariff lines of Mainland products worth approximately US$34 billion under the Section 301 investigation. The USTR also initiated an exclusion process for stakeholders to submit requests for the exclusion of specific products from the additional tariffs. Subsequently, the USTR announced the first batch of excluded products on 28 December 2018. For details, please refer to CIC No. 1163/2018 dated 28 December 2018.

3.The USTR further announced on 20 March 2019 the second batch of products to be excluded from the additional tariffs. The products include three existing 10-digit HTSUS subheadings 8412.21.0045, 8430.31.0040 and 8607.21.1000 covering certain hydraulic power engines and motors (telescoping); rock breaking machines; air brakes and parts for railway or tramway passenger coaches, freight cars and others; as well as 30 specially prepared product descriptions, covering certain pumps; certain impellers; plastic salad spinners; certain devices for purifying water; steel bucket elevators; vulcanized rubber tracks; stainless steel rotors; automated data processing storage units; bituminous pavers; certain check valves; AC electric motors; DC motors; electrical transformers; battery powered soldering irons / guns; knobs of injection molded plastics; molybdenum foil filament assemblies; thin-film-transistor, LED backlit flat panel liquid crystal display modules; depth-sounding apparatus with digital display; inoculator sets of plastics; tuners for musical instruments; etc.

4.According to the Federal Register (FR) notice of 25 March 2019, these product exclusions will be retroactive to 6 July 2018, and remain in place for one year until 24 March 2020. The exclusions are available for any product that meets the description set out in the exclusion, regardless of whether the importer filed an exclusion request. The USTR will continue to issue decisions on pending requests on a periodic basis.

5.For further details, please refer to the relevant notices: 

  • FR notice on second batch of products excluded from 25% tariff (25 March 2019):
    https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-03-25/pdf/2019-05588.pdf
  • US Customs and Border Protection's guidance note on filing entries subject to second batch of product exclusions (22 March 2019):
    https://csms.cbp.gov/viewmssg.asp?Recid=24140&page=&srch_argv=filing%20entries%20subject%20to%20product%20exclusions&srchtype=&btype=&sortby=&sby=

ENQUIRIES

6.For enquiries concerning the content of this circular, please contact Miss K Y HO at telephone number 2398 5405.

Yours faithfully,

(Miss Ivy TAM)
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.