The International Trade Commission published notices in the March 2 Federal Register on the following antidumping duty and countervailing duty injury, Section 337 patent or other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will be in another ITT article):
The International Trade Commission is requesting comments on two investigations, one regarding the impact of revoking China's permanent normal trade relations status and the other regarding the impact of Chinese state support in the biotechnology industry, according to notices due to be published March 2 in the Federal Register.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., introduced No Trade Preferences for Communist China Act, which would end permanent normal trade relations with China.
Bipartisan bills were introduced in both chambers of Congress to grant permanent normal trade relations to Central Asian countries covered by the Jackson-Vanik Act, a law that removes permanent normal trade relations for certain countries. The bill was introduced one day before presidents of the Central Asian countries visited the White House Nov. 6.
Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., introduced a bill to restore Russia to the list of countries covered by the Jackson-Vanik Act. That act removes permanent normal trade relations for countries covered by it.
House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., said his vision of revoking Permanent Normal Trade Relations status for China is not to move Chinese goods to Column 2, but to create a new tariff schedule just for Chinese goods, with high rates reserved for strategic goods. Moolenaar, who has sponsored legislation to end PNTR (see 2501240061), described the approach he'd like to see at a Center for a New Security conference June 3.
At a hearing largely focused on the need to get other countries to lower their tariffs, sanitary and phytosanitary barriers, and discriminatory tariffs on services exports, Democrats on the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee focused on Trump's tariff hikes.
Jamieson Greer, the former chief of staff to the U.S. trade representative during the first Trump administration, was confirmed by the Senate on Feb. 26, with a 56-43 vote. Five Democrats supported him, including both Michigan senators and Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and John Hickenlooper of Colorado. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., voted no.
A half-dozen House members reintroduced a bill this week. to grant Kazakhstan permanent normal trade relations status. The former Soviet republic does receive most favored nation treatment, but must certify its compliance under the Jackson-Vanik amendment each year.
A bipartisan bill has been introduced in the House that would require that the minimum tariff charged on Chinese goods be 35%, that tariffs higher than 35% in Column 2 of HTS be applied to some Chinese imports, 100% tariffs on hundreds of items on the Section 301 target list, and that the bound rates for U.S. tariffs, as declared at the World Trade Organization, should be changed to Column 2 for all countries.