USCIB sent a letter to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai urging for full reinstatement of the Section 301 product exclusion process and calling for a negotiated solution to put an end to the tariffs.
According to USCIB Director for Investment, Trade and China Alice Slayton Clark, the letter was dispatched December 1 as USCIB’s response to the recent USTR request for comment on the possible reinstatement of certain product exclusions subject to the Section 301 investigation of China’s acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property and innovation (86 FR 56345).
“While reinstatement of the product exclusion process is an important first step, we urge USTR to grant exclusions to all 549 products currently under review, to broaden the Section 301 product exclusion process, and to intensify high level engagement with the Chinese government and U.S. allies on a negotiated solution that ends these harmful tariffs,” said Clark. The letter advocates for retroactive recuperation of duties, long term extensions and a full and transparent Section 301 product exclusion process. It also urges caution when considering any future unilateral actions or remedies, as Ambassador Tai has indicated an interest in launching a new Section 301 investigation into Chinese industrial subsidy policies.
The letter further emphasizes that, while USCIB remains wholly committed to U.S. efforts to confront unfair trade practices, “we are concerned that the Section 301 tariffs imposed against Chinese imports have done more harm than good. Today, the tariffs cover over $370 billion in goods, levying tariffs of up to twenty-five percent on almost every Chinese import into the United States, including USCIB member products across the entire scope of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS). The tariffs have raised the cost of doing business in the United States and increased prices for U.S. families without addressing or improving the practices identified by the Section 301.” This outcome runs counter to the Biden Administration’s Build Back Better agenda and goals for U.S. economic recovery.
