Industrial Policy & Trade Monitor· 2666 actions· ✨ 89 recent

On June 2, 2026, USTR published final actionability findings in 60 parallel Section 301(b) investigations — the largest simultaneous Section 301 action in US history — determining that all 60 economies maintain unreasonable acts, policies, or practices by failing to impose or effectively enforce a prohibition on imports produced with forced labor. USTR proposed two additional duty rates: 10% on the 14 economies with partial forced-labor regimes (Canada, Ecuador, EU, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Malaysia, Taiwan, UK) and 12.5% on the remaining 46 economies. Tariff rates remain proposed pending a July 7, 2026 public hearing and subsequent finalization; the actionability determination is final.

On 26 January 2026 Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade issued Circular No. 04/2026/TT-BCT, setting the 2026 in-quota tariff-rate quota (TRQ) for raw-tobacco imports (HS 2401) at 79,199 tonnes, a roughly 5% increase over the 2025 quota of 75,427 tonnes. The circular took effect 15 March 2026 and runs through 31 December 2026, with allocation administered via import licences under Decree No. 69/2018/NĐ-CP and Circular No. 12/2018/TT-BCT. The annual increase follows Vietnam's WTO tariff-rate-quota commitment schedule for raw tobacco rather than a discretionary policy shift.

Pakistan's Federal Board of Revenue notified SRO 1898(I)/2025 on 1 October 2025, imposing a 40% regulatory duty (RD) on the commercial import of used vehicles under PCT headings 8702, 8703, 8704 and 8711, limited to vehicles less than five years old. The measure operationalises a Ministry of Commerce scheme (SRO 1895(I)/2025, 30 September 2025) that for the first time authorises a commercial (dealer-run) import channel for used vehicles, which had previously been restricted to the non-commercial personal-baggage/gift/transfer-of-residence schemes. The Economic Coordination Committee approved the scheme on 18 September 2025 and it was ratified by the federal cabinet; imports also remain subject to Engineering Development Board environmental, safety and quality certification. The Tariff Policy Board's published trajectory reduces the RD by 10 percentage points per year after 30 June 2026, reaching 0% by FY2029-30.

The European Commission adopted Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1206 on 19 June 2025, suspending GSP+ tariff preferences on non-fuel ethanol (CN codes 2207 10 and 2207 20, excluding TARIC-coded fuel-use ethanol) imported from Pakistan, effective 21 June 2025 for two years. The measure invokes the safeguard clause (Article 30 of Regulation (EU) No 978/2012) after finding that a surge in duty-free Pakistani ethanol — 27% of all EU non-fuel ethanol imports in 2024 (roughly 215,929 tonnes), priced around 25% below EU producer prices — caused serious injury to the EU bioethanol industry. Reinstated Common Customs Tariff duties are approximately EUR 243/tonne (CN 2207 10) and EUR 129/tonne (CN 2207 20).

Pakistan's National Tariff Commission (NTC) issued a final determination in anti-dumping case ADC-65, imposing a definitive 13.84% average ad valorem duty on imports of Polyester Filament Yarn — Drawn Textured Yarn (PFY-DTY, HS 5402.33) originating from the People's Republic of China. The investigation, initiated on petitions from domestic producers Gatron Industries Limited and Rupali Polyester Limited, found injurious dumping of Chinese PFY-DTY causing material injury to Pakistan's domestic polyester-yarn industry. Provisional duties of a lower rate were first imposed on 15 November 2024 for a four-month period; the higher definitive rate was confirmed and published in the final determination notice of 19 June 2025.

Pakistan's National Tariff Commission (NTC) issued its final determination in anti-dumping case ADC-66, imposing a definitive 26.76% ad valorem duty on imports of biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) self-adhesive tapes in jumbo rolls (PCT 3919.9010 / 3919.9090) originating from China, effective for five years from January 31, 2025. The investigation, initiated on the petition of domestic manufacturer M/s Universal Coating Films (Pvt.) Limited, found that Chinese-origin BOPP tapes were being dumped into Pakistan at injuriously low prices, causing material injury to the domestic packaging-tape industry. The measure supersedes the provisional 14.99% duty imposed in January 2025 and was announced in the final determination report published on 24 May 2025.

Pakistan's Ministry of Commerce issued Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) 750(I)/2025 on 4 May 2025 under Section 3(1) of the Imports and Exports (Control) Act 1950 (XXXIX of 1950), prohibiting (i) the import into Pakistan of goods of Indian origin by third countries via sea, land, and air; (ii) the transit through Pakistan of goods imported from India by third countries via sea and air; and (iii) exports from third countries to India via Pakistani sea, land, and air routes. The SRO was published in the Gazette of Pakistan Extraordinary (Part I) and took effect immediately. A clarification memorandum issued by the Ministry of Commerce on 8 May 2025 confirmed exemptions for Reshipment-on- Board (RoB) cargo and for shipments where the bill of lading or letter of credit was issued before 4 May 2025. The 10 May 2025 India–Pakistan ceasefire did not lift the SRO; it remains in force.