USTR Announces Intent To Implement List 3 Exclusion Process

On May 9, the Office of the United States Trade Representative published an announcement raising the Section 301 tariffs on List 3 goods from 10 percent to 25 percent. The notice also stated that USTR will implement an exclusion process for this list, which covers $200 billion in Chinese imports, many of which are of importance to the RV industry, including: woods, plywoods and multi-density fiberboard (MDF); fabrics, carpet and bedding; refrigerators, appliance and accessories; portable toilets and accessories; and various raw metals.

Congress ordered USTR to initiate the exclusion process on List 3 products no later than March 17, and the RV Industry Association supported this effort. The order, however, was not legally binding, and therefore USTR never established the process. In its new announcement, USTR indicated that it will publish a separate notice detailing the product exclusion process.

While the process has not been formally created, it will likely emulate with List 1 and List 2 in the exclusion processes, which required requestors to submit (among other things) alternative sourcing information, annual import values and quantities and product descriptions. The RV Industry Association is monitoring these developments and will provide updates on the exclusion process when it is announced.

For more information, contact Samantha Rocci at srocci@rvia.org.