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

15 May 2019
(updated on 20 May 2019)

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 372/2019

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

Further to Commercial Information Circular (CIC) Nos. 1163/2018, 209/2019 and 300/2019 of 28 December 2018, 21 March 2019 and 18 April 2019 respectively regarding the first, second and third batches of products excluded from the additional tariffs of 25% as imposed by the US on certain Mainland products worth approximately US$34 billion under the Section 301 investigation, the US Trade Representative (USTR) issued on 14 May 2019 a Federal Register (FR) notice announcing the fourth 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 13 May 2020. The USTR will continue to issue decisions on pending requests 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, second and third batches of excluded products in December 2018 and March and April 2019. For details, please refer to CIC nos. 1163/2018, 209/2019 and 300/2019 dated 28 December 2018, 21 March 2019 and 18 April 2019 respectively.

3.The USTR further announced on 14 May 2019 the fourth batch of products to be excluded from the additional tariffs. The products include five existing 10-digit HTSUS subheadings 8407.21.0040, 8427.10.4000, 8473.40.1000, 8481.10.0090 and 8483.50.9040 covering outboard motors, fork-lifted trucks, printed circuit assemblies for automatic teller machines, pressure-reducing valves, and flywheels and pulleys; as well as 35 specially prepared product descriptions, covering filtering or purifying machinery or apparatus; water distillation machinery and apparatus; air purification equipment; dust collection equipment for cement; roller conveyors; machinery for mixing beverages; housings designed for hydraulic ball valves; metering spools of steel and aluminium; poles of steel; push pins of steel; retainers of steel; DC electric motors; AC electric motors; radio remote control apparatus; push-button switches; stereoscopic microscopes; adapter rings, tubes and extension sleeves; ultraviolet or infrared LED light therapy devices, etc.

4.These product exclusions will be retroactive to 6 July 2018, and remain in place until 13 May 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 the fourth batch of products excluded from 25% tariff (14 May 2019):
  https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-05-14/pdf/2019-09872.pdf
• US Customs and Border Protection's guidance note on filing entries subject to the fourth batch of product exclusions (14 May 2019):
  https://csms.cbp.gov/viewmssg.asp?Recid=24235&page=&srch_argv=19-000244&srchtype=all&btype=&sortby=&sby

ENQUIRIES

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

Yours faithfully,

(Miss Janette NG)
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.