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

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

30 July 2019
(Last updated on 19 November 2020)

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 576/2019

US : Section 301 Tariffs on Mainland Products Worth US$16 billion - First Batch of Products Excluded from 25% Tariffs

Further to Commercial Information Circular (CIC) Nos. 759/2018 and 859/2018 of 8 August 2018 and 19 September 2018 respectively regarding the additional tariffs of 25% imposed by the US on certain Mainland products worth approximately US$16 billion (List 2) under the Section 301 investigation and the related product exclusion request process, the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced on 26 July 2019 the first batch of products to be excluded from the additional tariffs and the official Federal Register (FR) notice was issued on 31 July 2019. These product exclusions will be retroactive to 23 August 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 23 August 2018, the US imposed an additional tariff of 25% on 279 tariff lines of Mainland products worth approximately US$16 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.

3.The USTR announced on 26 July 2019 the first batch of products to be excluded from the additional tariffs. The products include 69 specially prepared product descriptions, covering chlorinated polyethylene elastomer; expandable plastics beads; polyvinyl chloride film; gasoline or liquid propane (LP) engines; spark-ignition internal combustion piston engines; heat guns; air amplifiers; dispensers of hand-cleaning solutions; oral irrigators; certain washers; fertilizer distributors; certain electric motors; amorphous silicon solar chargers; position or speed sensors; antenna amplifiers and noise suppressors; electrically powered insect control apparatus; motorcycles; combined thermometer and hygrometer devices; pulse output water and gas meters; fingertip pulse oximeters; etc.

4.These product exclusions will be retroactive to 23 August 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 first batch of products excluded from 25% tariff (31 July 2019) and subsequent amendments (16 July 2020, 13 August 2020 and 18 November 2020):
    https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-07-31/pdf/2019-16256.pdf
    https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-07-16/pdf/2020-15320.pdf
    https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-08-13/pdf/2020-17654.pdf
    https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-11-18/pdf/2020-25403.pdf
  • US Customs and Border Protection's guidance note on filing entries for products excluded from Section 301 Tariffs (List 2) (2 August 2019):
    https://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USDHSCBP-255ae1d?wgt_ref=USDHSCBP_WIDGET_2

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.