Is 301 Tariff Implementation at Hand? (From NCBFAA)
Fueled in part because of apprehension caused by a massive list of products that could be subject to a 25% tariff, word is circulating that the President may order implementation in a week to ten days after a September 6 deadline for importers to file a defense of their products.
Hearings were held in late August by an intergovernmental panel assembled at the International Trade Commission. Many of the projected outcomes were similar: for example, these tariffs were expected to cause an inflationary cost born by American consumers, a tax on inputs driving up the cost of American-assembled products, and the impossibility of moving production from China near-term.
Nowhere was there recognition of the price to be paid by U.S. importers and intermediaries, such as brokers, enduring the chaos of an “implement now” approach. Still, the decision lies in the hands of the President and there is but one answer — prepare for an earlier than expected start date.
GPA opens inland port near Chatsworth (From Georgia Port Authority)
The Appalachian Regional Port, or ARP, is now open and sits on 42 acres along U.S. 411 near Chatsworth, with easy access to Interstate 75 so cargo owners can get to their containers without delays. We also give you extra time to move containers off terminal at the ARP, with five days free storage for loaded containers and 10 days free for empties. The location will serve as a convenient source of empty containers for manufacturers across the region, offering significant savings on repositioning equipment for exports. The new rail option will offset 710 truck miles on Georgia highways. The ARP will be just what you’re used to from a Georgia Ports operation: congestion free and easy to access, with expedited handling and reliability. In fact, the first containers bound for the ARP from Garden City Terminal were moved from vessel to rail in as little as 20 minutes and no longer than two hours. For perspective, the industry standard for loading cargo from ship to rail is 48 hours. For more details on the opening, be sure to check out our special ARP website and news release.
U.S., Mexico reach trade deal
The United States and Mexico, at the exclusion of North American Free Trade Agreement partner Canada, on August 27, announced a separate bilateral trade deal. President Donald Trump, who held a televised joint press conference in the Oval Office with Mexico’s outgoing president Enrique Pena Nieto on the telephone, said the deal is “much simpler, much better for both countries.” Pena Nieto also called the new trade agreement with the United States “positive” for both countries, but added, “It’s our wish that Canada will also be incorporated in all of this.” Mexico’s new incoming president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who takes office Dec. 1, has been included in the trade agreement negotiations. For more info, please go to
https://www.americanshipper.com/main/fullasd/us-mexico-reach-trade-deal-72381.aspx
Forced Labor Risk Management Principles Recommended for Importers (From Sandler Travis)
CBP encourages stakeholders to closely examine their supply chains to ensure that imported goods are not mined, produced, or manufactured, wholly or in part, with prohibited forms of labor; i.e., slave, convict, forced child, or indentured labor. To that end, the agency has recommended the Department of Labor’s Comply Chain principles for creating a social compliance system as a best business practice. For more information and a brief list of these principles, please go to
https://www.strtrade.com/news-publications-forced-labor-best-practice-risk-management-082818.html
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Lee Hardeman LeeH@LHCB.com Direct: 404-477-3452
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