The office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) recently issued a notice, officially “postponing” the tariff rate increase “until further notice.” S301 List 3 tariffs will remain at 10 percent instead of increasing to 25 percent. The delayed increase is due to progress in US and China trade negotiations.

Here are some important dates to keep in mind regarding S301 List 3 Tariffs:

• February 15, 2019: Congress directed USTR to develop an exclusion process for List 3.
• February 24, 2019: President Trump used social media to state talks with China were progressing.
• February 28, 2019: The Federal Register issued a statement that said List 3 would remain at 10 percent until further notice.
• March 2, 2019: List 3 remained at 10 percent.
• March 17, 2019: USTR did not meet the exclusion request process deadline. The USTR was expected to present the exclusion request process to Congress. Robert Lighthizer informed the USTR that no exclusion request process will be issued for List 3 as long as it remains at 10 percent.

There is still a chance that the List 3 duties could become more permanent. However, it is still unclear when the delay will end. If you have additional questions, please contact us or reach out to your Ascent Global Logistics representative directly.