The Biden administration has announced it will reinstate tariff exemptions for 352 Chinese products previously imposed during the Trump era in 2018.
According to a statement released Wednesday, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) said the determination was made after careful consideration of public comments and the outcome of negotiations with other U.S. agencies.
The returned product exemption will take effect retroactively beginning Oct. 12, 2021 and continue until Dec. 31, 2022, the USTR said.
It covers various types of imports of Chinese goods initially estimated to be worth $ 370 billion imposed by former President Donald Trump with a penalty tariff of 7.5% to 25%.
The Trump administration initially granted more than 2,200 exemptions to tariffs to reduce the burden on certain industries and retailers.
Most were given expiration dates, but 549 were extended for a year, which expired at the end of 2020.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai last October launched a review of whether to reinstate the 549 exemptions as part of a strategy to confront China over its trade practices.
A series of virtual meetings with China have resulted in little improvement in Beijing’s performance under the Phase 1 trade agreement between Trump and China.
