Tag Archives: List 4

US China trade war update.

December 5, 2019 By in international trade, trade deal, trade law, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment
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According to a Bloomberg article today, sources close to the negotiations indicate the US and China are working on an agreement to phase one of a trade deal, despite Congress’ recent resolution in support of the Uighur population in Xinjiang coupled with the Trump administration’s signing of a bill supporting pro-democracy Hong Kong protesters.

The agreement will likely occur before December 15th, when the next list of tariffs are set to rise. Currently issues include guarantees of China’s purchases of US agricultural goods and which duties to roll back.

More news will be posted once an agreement has been reached. If you have any questions how the US/China trade war will impact your business, contact David Hsu by phone/text at 832-896-6288 or by email at attorney.dave@yahoo.com, dh@gjatradelaw.com.

 

USTR to open comment period on List 4.

August 30, 2019 By in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment
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This past Thursday, the US Trade Representative (USTR) gave formal notice of the plan to raise tariffs on $300 billion of Chinese imports from 10% to 15% starting December 15th. The formal notice starts the opportunity for importers or anyone impacted by the potential tariffs to submit comments. The comments are an opportunity for businesses to tell the White House why the tariffs are good or bad. As in the past, comments have been both supportive and critical of the potential tariffs.
This round of tariffs encompasses goods on “List 4” and includes mostly consumer goods – such as smartphones, computers, and other consumer electronics.
If you want to submit comments regarding any goods on “List 4”, contact experienced trade and customs attorney David Hsu at 832-896-6288 or by email at attorney.dave@yahoo.com, dh@gjatradelaw.com.

What could Apple do to reduce the tariff impact on September 1st?

August 9, 2019 By in exclusion, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment
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If Trump levies a 10% tariff on over $300 billion of goods on September 1st, all of Apple’s products from China would be impacted. What options does Apple have?

  1. Exclusions – Apple can apply for an exclusion of their goods that are covered by the proposed List 4.
  2. Country of origin – Apple’s major contract manufacturer, Hon Hai has additional production ability in Taiwan, India, Thailand and Vietnam and a shift to one of those countries may be possible. Samsung makes their Galaxy phones in Vietnam.
  3. Apple can ask their suppliers for price reductions to make up for the additional 10% duties.

Like Apple, other these options are also available to any company that manufactures in China. If you want to know what your company can do to lessen the impact of the potential duties, or want to know other ways to save money on duties – contact experienced trade attorney David Hsu at 832-896-6288 or by email at attorney.dave@yahoo.com, dh@gjatradelaw.com.

China threatens retaliation if tariffs are imposed on September 1st.

August 2, 2019 By in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment
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According to the Associated Press, earlier today, China threatened the US with retaliation if Trump goes through with his threat to impose sanctions on “List 4” of goods from China on September 1st.

The primary issues of disagreement between the US and China are the forced technology transfers that are required by US companies doing business in China in addition to the lack of intellectual property protections for companies doing business in China. Additionally, the US has also expressed concerns over China’s 2025.

At the current time, the US has imposed tariffs over $250 billion in Chinese imports while the China has imposed tariffs on over $110 billion in US goods. The proposed September 1st tariffs cover over $300 billion in goods – effectively covering all imports of goods from China. The US government may have an upper hand as China only imported about $160 billion in US goods – a number that highlights the unequal trade balance ($160 billion versus $550 billion).

It will be interesting to see how China retaliates, they can only threaten to impose an additional $50 billion in tariffs on US goods, only 1/6th of the what the US can impose.