01 Dec 2023

America’s Tech Leadership at Risk: A Call for Renewed Commitment

America’s once-unquestioned dominance in technological innovation is facing a serious challenge. The recent withdrawal of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) from key digital trade proposals at the World Trade Organization raises alarming questions about our commitment to maintaining this leadership position. This decision is not just a missed economic opportunity; it’s a strategic blunder with […]

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27 Oct 2023

Textile Enforcement Statistics Show CBP’s Commitment to Protecting American Industry

  U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released fiscal year (FY) 2023 textile enforcement statistics today, demonstrating the agency’s robust efforts to protect American workers and legitimate importers from unlawful textile imports that violate U.S. trade laws and trade agreements. In FY 2023, CBP: Seized more than 5,000 textile shipments valued at more than $129 […]

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16 Aug 2023

Biden Administration Introduces New Outbound Investment Screening System Targeting Americans’ Investments in China

  On Wednesday, August 9th President Joe Biden declared a new national emergency and immediately used it as the justification for creating a new screening system that will limit Americans’ ability to invest overseas. The new rules, which have been in development since last year, will prohibit private equity and venture capital firms from investing […]

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15 Jul 2023

Yellen Raises China’s Hopes for Tariff Cuts, but US Politics Could Dash Them

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s visit to China has sparked optimism in Beijing that the Trump-era tariffs on Chinese imports could see some alleviation as she endeavors to improve relations between the two countries. However, the presence of robust anti-China sentiment within the US may pose significant obstacles to the realization of such tariff cuts. […]

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23 Jun 2023

US lawmakers introduce bill to end tariff exemption for China e-commerce shipments

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers introduced a bill on Wednesday that would eliminate a tariff exemption that is widely used by e-commerce sellers to send orders from China to US shoppers. The exemption, known as the de minimis rule, currently exempts imports valued at $800 or less from tariffs if the items are shipped […]

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03 May 2023

Mitigating Risks to Hull and Cargo: Strategies for a Secure Journey

  The transportation of hazardous and combustible goods through containers has been on the rise, posing an increasing risk to both container shipping and car carrier vessels. Additionally, the prevalence of Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries has added to the potential dangers. Larger vessels now handle these hazardous cargos, amplifying the consequences of fires and resulting in […]

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07 Apr 2023

Congress Warns That Chinese Shopping Apps Could Enable Uyghur Forced-Labor Imports

  The members of Congress behind the law that combats the import of goods produced by Uyghur forced labor are warning that some importers are taking advantage of a loophole intended to avoid scrutiny of the products that they’re bringing into the U.S. — and that increasingly popular Chinese e-commerce apps might facilitate breaches of […]

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16 Mar 2023

USTR confirms tariff cutting not on the Biden trade agenda

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai on Thursday rebuffed appeals from senators to begin negotiating trade agreements that would cut tariffs on U.S. agricultural exports. “At this moment we do not have tariff liberalization negotiations going on with a partner,” Tai told the Senate Finance Committee. Tai left open the possibility for that to change, saying […]

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