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

4 June 2019
(updated on 10 June 2019)

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 440/2019

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

Further to Commercial Information Circular (CIC) Nos. 1163/2018, 209/2019, 300/2019 and 372/2019 of 28 December 2018, 21 March 2019, 18 April 2019 and 15 May 2019 respectively regarding the first, second, third and fourth 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 4 June 2019 a Federal Register (FR) notice announcing the fifth batch of products to be excluded from the additional tariffs. These product exclusions will be retroactive to 6 July 2018, and remain in place one year after the publication of the FR notice. 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, third and fourth batches of excluded products in December 2018, March 2019, April 2019 and May 2019. For details, please refer to CIC nos. 1163/2018, 209/2019, 300/2019 and 372/2019 dated 28 December 2018, 21 March 2019, 18 April 2019 and 15 May 2019 respectively.

3.The USTR further announced on 4 June 2019 the fifth batch of products to be excluded from the additional tariffs. The products include one existing 10-digit HTSUS subheading 8537.10.8000 covering touch-sensitive data input devices without display capabilities; as well as 88 specially prepared product descriptions, covering parts of nonaircraft gas turbines; oil well and oil field pumps; centrifugal, submersible and sump pumps; housings and impellors for water pumps; plastic reservoirs for motor vehicle brake master cylinders; solar water heaters; parts of air filtering machines or apparatus; self-propelled fork-lift and platform trucks; pipe drivers; belt conveyor crossmember assemblies; rolling mills; AC multi-phase motors; speed drive controllers; printed circuit assemblies; radio transceivers; push-button switches; electrical connectors; electrical apparatus; machines for testing the hardness of metals; etc.

4.These product exclusions will be retroactive to 6 July 2018, and remain in place one year after the publication of the FR notice. 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 fifth batch of products excluded from 25% tariff (4 June 2019):
  https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-06-04/pdf/2019-11573.pdf
• US Customs and Border Protection's guidance note on filing entries subject to the fifth batch of product exclusions (7 June 2019):
  https://csms.cbp.gov/viewmssg.asp?Recid=24282&page=&srch_argv=&srchtype=&btype=&sortby=&sby=

ENQUIRIES

6.For enquiries concerning 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.