HTS Update -- Additional 25 percent Duty on Certain Imports from China

Are you looking for information about the additional 25 percent duty on imports of "Products of China"?

The Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) now contains the new tariff heading, covered tariff provisions, and additional rate of duty recently announced for imports from China in more than 800 product categories. The updated HTS can be found here.

Here are some things you need to know:

  • The additional duties stem from an investigation led by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) under section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 into “the government of China’s acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation.”  General information about section 301 investigations can be found here.

     

  • The modifications in 2018 Revision 7 Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States were established by the USTR in a Federal Register notice published on June 20, 2018 (83 F.R. 28710, which can be found here).  The changes are reflected in the HTS in chapter 99, subchapter III.  This revision is current as of July 6, 2018, the effective date of this action.

     

  • The notice includes information about requesting product exclusions.

     

  • Additional permanent HTS provisions may be covered later (annex C of the notice has a list).

     

  • The posted version of chapter 99 reflects the following changes in subchapter III:  new U.S. note 20 and new heading 9903.88.01. 

     

  • The revision also reflects changes announced in a separate Federal Register notice relating to one beneficiary country of the African Growth and Opportunity (AGOA) program (83 F.R. 31254 (affecting general notes 4 and 16 and subchapters II and XIX of chapter 98), which can be found here).

     

If you need help determining if you are importing a “product of China,” or if you are not certain of the classification of your product (which determines whether it is covered by the additional duty), you will need to obtain advice or a formal ruling from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Initial inquiries may be sent to traderemedy@cbp.dhs.gov.

For classification and enforcement questions, CBP has posted additional information: https://www.cbp.gov/trade/programs-administration/entry-summary/232-tariffs-aluminum-and-steel