News Articles

export 2020

Export 2020 – A Year of Change

In the chaos of a pandemic, “the show must go on”, and indeed, the regulators in Washington D.C. did just that—in the form of far reaching and noteworthy changes in re-export restrictions to China and companies like Huawei.

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file protests

To File or Not to File Protests?

On September 10, 2020, HMTX Industries and related companies, Halstead and Metroflor, filed a lawsuit in the Court of International Trade (“CIT”) alleging that the U.S. Trade Representative (“USTR”) exceeded its authority when it issued tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 (“Trade Act”).

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mexico agreement

The Mexico Agreement on Trade Facilitation

On April 6, 2017, Mexico published in the Mexican Official Gazette an enactment decree to amend the Marrakech Agreement that created the World Trade Organization (WTO). This amendment consisted of the incorporation of the Agreement on Trade Facilitation (ATF) set out in Annex 1A to the WTO Agreement.

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export controls

Export Controls on Campus A Learning Experience

Colleges and universities – Ivy covered buildings with students and faculty engaged in academic pursuits.

Colleges and universities – Hotbeds of export control concerns. What??

The halls of academia have increasingly become involved with export control issues. There are several ways that universities are potentially affected by export controls, including:

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cit litigation

Section 301 CIT Litigation: Current Status and What’s Next?

As many importers are aware, a lawsuit was brought against the United States arguing that the List 3 and List 4A tariffs violated The Trade Act of 1974, as well as the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). Once the initial lawsuit was filed by HMTX on September 10th, companies rushed to find trade counsel to submit a lawsuit on their behalf.

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section 232

New Section 232 CIT Decision Paves Way for Import Litigation

On July 14, 2020, the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) ruled that the doubling of Section 232 duties on imports of Turkish steel after the initial imposition of the original national security duties at 25% is a violation of the Fifth Amendment guarantee of equal protection and due process.

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hour glass tiktok

Is the clock ticking for TikTok? What’s the big deal anyway?

A quick scroll through the social media app TikTok will lead you to “thirst trap” videos, Sheena Melwani playing a beautiful song on her keyboard while her “dad” provides hilarious quips, dogs like Tina the Chi doing crazy chihuahua things, and couples like Thirsty on Main providing relationship advice and looks into their daily lives.

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4T mexican customs regulations

4T – Recent changes to the Mexican Customs Regulations

Have you heard about the Mexican “Fourth Transformation (4T)”? Well, this is how Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) wants his term in office to be known as. He says, throughout the course of the history, Mexico has gone through 3 important episodes: 1. Independence, 2. Reform, 3. Revolution, and 4…: the 4T.

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import country origin

What is the Country of Origin?

Determining the country of origin of imported articles has become increasingly important in recent years. There has long been a requirement that imported articles be marked with the name of the country of origin. Country of origin also determines eligibility for special duties or free trade agreements.

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usmca chapter 84

USMCA and Chapter 84, What You Need to Know

The new agreement is similar to NAFTA in many respects, and the commitments that pertain specifically to machinery, equipment and computers in Chapter 84 have not changed very much, with the exception of the rules of origin calculations for motor vehicles and parts, which impacts several categories of goods in Chapter 84.

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usmca chapter 25

USMCA Chapter 25 – Call to Action

The enactment of the “United States Mexico Canada Trade Agreement” (“USMCA”) on July 1st, 2020, heralded the first new tri-lateral trade agreement since the enactment of its predecessor, NAFTA in 1994.

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hong kong import export uncertainty

A Harried Hong Kong Make for Import/Export Uncertainty

On July 14, 2020, President Trump issued an executive order (EO) that stripped Hong Kong of its different and preferential treatment from mainland People’s Republic of China (PRC or China). In accordance with the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, the city of Hong Kong’s sovereignty was handed over to mainland China from the U.K. in 1997, but as an autonomous city with a largely separate legal and economic system from mainland China.

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Forced labor

Hot Topics in International Trade: Forced Labor

Adrienne Braumiller discusses forced labor, its definition and how it’s regulated. U.S. forced labor prohibitions have been in place since the 1930s but an exercisable exception was repealed in 2015. In the current landscape, importers and exporters must navigate WROs (Withhold Release Order) and findings.

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American China Flags

Hot Topics In International Trade: Section 301 #002

Brandon French discusses section 301. He reviews China entering the WTO in 2001 and the 2017 USTR investigation that led to tariffs on Chinese imports to the U.S.. Brandon talks about the process of tariff exclusion requests for goods deemed to be only available from China.

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