ALEXANDRIA, Va.—In December, The Vision Council’s Government and Regulatory Affairs team held two all-member discussions to address the present and future state of China 301 Duties; a recording of these meetings as well as slides presented during the sessions are now available online through The Vision Council’s member portal here, the group recently announced. The meetings discussed how to prepare for the possibility of increased tariffs, pathways for tariff relief in the next Congress, information about machinery exclusion applications, and The Vision Council’s advocacy efforts related to tariffs, which include letters and petitions.

During the meetings, The Vision Council’s Government and Regulatory Affairs team suggested that members keep in mind several potential considerations. These are:

● If new tariffs go into effect, prepare to pay more for imported goods. This includes raw materials, parts, components and finished goods.

● Review your supply chain and buying patterns. Expect freight capacity to fill up quickly and rates to increase.

● Consider the impact of higher product costs on pricing and balance sheets.

● Analyze export markets; trading partners will likely implement retaliatory duties against U.S. origin goods.

● Do not try to game the system. The Vision Council explains, “It is illegal to misrepresent the country of origin to hide China and avoid paying the higher China 301 tariff. Likewise, if you are considering producing in a different country but using Chinese inputs, make sure that those inputs undergo a substantial transformation in the country of final assembly. Otherwise, US Customs and Border Protection might deem the finished product to be Chinese origin and thus subject to the higher China 301 duties.”

Members with questions about these tariffs can contact Van Arnam, The Vision Council’s regulatory affairs counsel, at rvanarnam@barnesrichardson.com, and Taylor Hartman, The Vision Council’s government relations coordinator, at thartman@thevisioncouncil.org.