Industrial Policy & Trade Monitor· 2667 actions· ✨ 89 recent

On 4 June 2026 USTR published a formal Notice of Determination in the Federal Register (doc 2026-11158, docket USTR-2025-0043) concluding that Brazil's acts, policies, and practices in six areas — digital trade and electronic payment services, unfair preferential tariffs, anti-corruption enforcement, IP protection, ethanol market access, and illegal deforestation — are unreasonable and burden US commerce. Simultaneously, USTR proposed a 25% ad valorem tariff on all Brazilian-origin goods, subject to ~1,600 HTS subheading exclusions including approximately 430 civil-aircraft lines. A public hearing is scheduled for 6 July 2026 and USTR faces a statutory deadline of 15 July 2026 to finalise any responsive action; the tariff has not yet taken effect.

President Trump signed Proclamation 11032 on June 1, 2026 (effective June 8, 2026), making further adjustments to Section 232 tariff regimes for aluminum, steel, and copper. The proclamation expands temporary 15% reduced ad valorem rates to cover agricultural equipment and certain residential HVAC systems previously subject to the 25% derivative tariff, and creates a new Annex I-C establishing temporary S232 rates for mobile industrial equipment and machinery through December 31, 2027. It also designates aluminum lithographic plates and steel racks as new derivative products subject to S232 duties as an anti-circumvention measure. All temporary modifications revert to Proclamation 11021 rates after December 31, 2027.

On 21 May 2026 the Korea Trade Commission (KTC) at its 473rd plenary session adopted a final affirmative anti-dumping determination against PVC paste resin (PSR) imports from Germany, France, Norway and Sweden, recommending definitive five-year duties of 25.79–31.55% to the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MOEF) for formal imposition via customs notification. The case was initiated in July 2025 following a complaint by Hanwha Solutions Corp., and provisional duties of 25.79–42.81% have been in effect since February 2026; the final rates represent a notable reduction from the provisional upper bound. The KTC concluded that PSR dumping from the four European countries caused tangible injury to Korea's domestic chemical industry.

The Secretaría de Economía (SE), through its Unidad de Prácticas Comerciales Internacionales (UPCI), published a Resolución de Inicio in the Diario Oficial de la Federación on 21 May 2026, formally initiating an antidumping investigation into imports of mirror glass (vidrio de espejo — silvered, aluminum-backed, copper-free mirrors) originating from the People's Republic of China, classified under TIGIE tariff heading 7009.91.99 (NICO 00). The investigation follows a petition filed 30 January 2026 by Vidrio Plano de México S.A. de C.V. (Vitro) and Productora y Distribuidora de Espejos S.A. de C.V. (Prodiesa), alleging Chinese imports surged during October 2024–September 2025 under price-discrimination conditions that materially injured the Mexican domestic industry. Interested parties have 23 working days from publication (or 5 days after direct notification for Chinese exporters and the Chinese government) to submit responses; the initial deadline is 30 June 2026.

Via Department Administrative Order (DAO) No. 26-03, series of 2026, signed on 20 May 2026, the Philippine DTI removed China and Indonesia from the list of developing countries exempt from the definitive general safeguard measure on ordinary Portland cement (Type 1) and blended cement, imposing a safeguard duty of PHP 349 per metric tonne (≈ US$6.09/t; PHP 14 per 40 kg bag) on imports from those two origins for three years. The removal follows the Philippine Tariff Commission's monitoring, which found China's share of total cement imports rising from 11% in 2025 to 23% in Q1 2026 and Indonesia's from 6% to 8% over the same period — both exceeding the 3% de minimis threshold that conferred exemption under the parent DAO 25-15. The underlying definitive safeguard, covering all non-exempt origins, first took effect in February 2026 following a serious-injury determination by the Tariff Commission.

The Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council announced on April 28, 2026 that China will extend zero-tariff treatment (preferential tariff rate of 0%) to all 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations, effective May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2028. The measure adds 20 African non-LDC nations to the existing zero-tariff scheme already covering 33 African LDCs since December 2024, making China the first major economy to grant full-coverage zero-tariff access to all African diplomatic partners. Coverage extends to all tariff lines except out-of-quota products (where only in-quota rates move to zero); eSwatini is excluded as it maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan rather than the PRC.

Argentina's Ministerio de Economía issued Resolución 531/2026 on 20 April 2026, closing the changed-circumstances review under the anti-dumping regime of Resolución 915/2021 and excluding disassembled sports footwear with non-leather soles or uppers (HS 6401.10.00–6405.90.00) imported from China from the existing USD 15.70/pair minimum-FOB-value anti-dumping measure. The Comisión Nacional de Comercio Exterior (CNCE) recommended the exclusion following requests from domestic manufacturers Topper and Puma Sports Argentina, finding that high-performance sports footwear requires components and materials unavailable from domestic suppliers and that assembly operations add approximately 20% local value while supporting employment. The measure operationalises the Milei administration's deregulatory programme via a CNCE-mediated precedent for dismantling legacy protectionist AD measures without formal statutory repeal.

Presidential Proclamation 11021 of 2 April 2026 (signed by President Trump, effective 6 April 2026 at 12:01 a.m. EDT, published 9 April 2026 at 91 FR 18201) consolidates and restructures the Section 232 tariff architecture for aluminum, steel, and copper. The proclamation modifies Proclamations 9704 (aluminum), 9705 (steel), and 10962 (copper) and applies tiered ad valorem duties to the full customs value of imported articles regardless of metal content: 50% on aluminum/steel articles and most copper articles; 25% on certain copper articles and on derivative articles substantially made of the three metals; 10% on derivative articles produced abroad using entirely US-smelted/cast metals; and 0% supplemental duty where existing tariffs already meet a 15% combined-rate floor. UK products receive preferential rates (25% on primary articles and 15% on certain derivatives) contingent on UK smelting/casting under the US–UK trade framework.

On 30 March 2026 Korea's Ministry of Economy and Finance (MOEF) issued Notice 2026-68, imposing a provisional anti-dumping duty on Thai-origin seamless copper tubes and pipes (outer diameter ≤66.68mm, wall thickness 0.20–2.50mm; HSK 7411.10.0000) for a four-month period from 30 March to 29 July 2026. The duty follows a 22 January 2026 preliminary affirmative determination by the Korea Trade Commission (KTC), which found dumping and threat of material injury to domestic producers. Rates are 3.64% for Hong Kong Hailiang Metal Trading Limited and affiliates, 8.41% for Fine Metal Technologies Public Company Limited (Thailand) and affiliates, and 3.64% for all other Thai suppliers. The investigation was initiated 12 September 2025 on a petition by domestic producers Neungwon Metal Industry and LS Metal.

The US Department of Commerce published its final affirmative determination of sales at less-than-fair-value in the antidumping investigation of animal feed-grade L-lysine (lysine) from China (case A-570-215) on 23 July 2026, following a preliminary determination published 6 March 2026 (91 FR 11030). Commerce found a China-wide weighted-average dumping margin of 139.83% (cash deposit rate 139.65% after subsidy-offset adjustment), based on adverse facts available after Commerce found Zhengzhou Longgu Trading Co., the sole company with a calculated margin, and the Eppen Group group of producers/exporters uncooperative and ineligible for a separate rate in the final determination. A group of separate-rate companies — including Anhui BBCA Biochemical, Heilongjiang Wanlirunda Biotechnology, and others exporting through trading intermediaries such as Agromate Sg, Ainore (Tianjin), and Aollen Biotech — received a 73.55% dumping margin (73.37% cash deposit rate). The order covers lysine regardless of form (HCl, sulfate, liquid) under HTSUS 2922.41.0090 and related subheadings. A companion countervailing-duty investigation (preliminary 22 January 2026, 91 FR 2745) was finalized the same day; suspension of liquidation runs from 6 March 2026, with a final AD order contingent on an ITC injury determination due within 45 days of the final LTFV finding.

On 19 February 2026 Presidents Trump and Prabowo finalised the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) between the United States and Indonesia. The deal locks the US reciprocal tariff on Indonesian imports at 19% (down from the 32% threatened in April 2025), with 0% on a defined list of products and a textile/apparel quota benchmarked to US-cotton/MMF inputs. Indonesia commits to remove export restrictions on all industrial commodities — explicitly including critical minerals across the full value chain — and to grant US investors national treatment in mineral exploration, mining, processing and export. Indonesia also agrees to eliminate tariff barriers on >99% of US-origin goods, while a Freeport-McMoRan MOU extends the Grasberg copper-mine licence (~USD 10bn/yr revenue, world's 2nd largest copper mine) and a parallel commercial package totalling ~USD 33bn (energy USD 15bn, aerospace incl. Boeing USD 13.5bn, agriculture USD 4.5bn) is signed alongside.

The US Department of Commerce published its final affirmative countervailing-duty (CVD) determination on animal feed-grade L-lysine from China (case C-570-216) on 23 July 2026, the companion subsidy proceeding to the parallel antidumping case (A-570-215) finalized the same day. Commerce found Heilongjiang Wanlirunda Biotechnology Co., Ltd. and Shouguang Golden-land Industry & Trading Co., Ltd. received countervailable subsidies at 82.11%, while Inner Mongolia Eppen Biotech Co., Ltd. and all other Chinese producers/exporters were assigned a 48.21% subsidy rate. The preliminary CVD determination, published 22 January 2026, set the initial cash-deposit rates and suspension of liquidation; the final determination confirmed and aligned the case with the AD final determination for a joint ITC injury vote.

Cumhurbaşkanı Kararı No. 10790 (Resmi Gazete 31 December 2025, issue 33124 3rd reprint), in force 1 January 2026, restructures Türkiye's annual import-tariff architecture across 4,344 product lines from non-EU origins. The decree (i) introduces or expands additional customs duty (Ek Mali Yükümlülük / İlave Gümrük Vergisi) of 5%–48% on non-EU imports of iron and non-alloy steel, copper, aluminium, and base-metal household goods; (ii) introduces forward-looking import-surveillance measures across 172 products under 36 notifications, with reference-price floors that cap effective duty relief on under-valued shipments; (iii) updates duties on 324 Customs Tariff Statistical Positions across 21 chapters (219 HS lines raised by 2.4–15 percentage points; 8 lines under HS 7225/7228/8528/8529 raised by 3–14 points; 2 lines reduced by 6 points); (iv) opens duty-free tariff quotas for 35 industrial-product categories — including 27 battery / lithium-cell HS codes through 1 February 2027, 8m m² of plastic-treated textiles through 31 December 2026, and 40,725 tons of organic chemicals and aluminium sheets (16 February–31 December 2026); and (v) imposes a permit regime (6-month validity) on used and refurbished goods. EU and EU-Customs-Union origins remain exempt under A.TR preferential rules; the structural asymmetry vs non-EU partners is the core mechanism. Stated rationale (Ministry of Trade): support domestic production, prevent unfair competition, increase employment, reduce the current-account deficit.

On 13 November 2025, the United States and the Republic of Korea released a Joint Fact Sheet reaffirming the July 2025 announcement of the Korea Strategic Trade and Investment Deal — the first standalone US-Korea trade-and-investment agreement since the 2012 KORUS FTA. USTR issued the implementing Federal Register notice (90 FR 55964, Notice 2025-21940) on 3 December 2025, effective 4 December 2025, with retroactive HTSUS application to 1 November 2025 for autos and auto parts and to 14 November 2025 for reciprocal-tariff goods, timber, lumber, derivatives, and certain aircraft and aircraft parts. On the US tariff side: (i) the country-specific IEEPA reciprocal tariff on Korean originating goods is set at the higher of the KORUS FTA / MFN rate or 15% (parallel to the Japan and EU framework deals); (ii) the Section 232 tariffs on autos, auto parts, timber, lumber and wood derivatives are reduced to 15% (no incremental duty when the pre-existing KORUS/MFN rate already meets or exceeds 15%); (iii) Korean exports of qualifying goods on the Potential Tariff Adjustments for Aligned Partners (PTAAP) list are exempt from reciprocal tariffs (covering generic pharmaceuticals and unavailable natural resources); (iv) Section 232 pharmaceuticals capped at 15%; semiconductors granted MFN-style "no less favourable" treatment in any future sectoral deal. On the investment side, Korea commits to a USD 350bn package: USD 150bn into US shipbuilding ("Approved Investments") plus USD 200bn into US strategic industries via a separate Strategic Investments MOU, with annual currency-funding cap of USD 20bn. Non-tariff commitments include streamlined US biotech approvals on the Korean side, US meat and cheese market access, fair treatment for US digital services, removal of Korea's 50,000-unit cap on US vehicles meeting FMVSS, and joint WTO support for the moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions.

President Trump signed "Adjusting Imports of Timber, Lumber, and their Derivative Products into the United States" on 29 September 2025 invoking Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. § 1862), following a Section 232 investigation initiated 1 March 2025 and a Commerce report transmitted 1 July 2025 that found wood- product imports threaten US national security. The proclamation imposes a 10% ad valorem global tariff on imports of softwood timber and lumber, a 25% global tariff on upholstered wooden furniture, and a 25% global tariff on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, effective 12:01 a.m. EDT 14 October 2025 (Federal Register doc 2025-19482, published 6 October 2025). The upholstered-furniture rate was scheduled to step up to 30% and the cabinet/vanity rate to 50% on 1 January 2026; both step-ups were postponed to 1 January 2027 by a 31 December 2025 amendment proclamation. EU and Japan rates are capped at 15% and UK rates at 10% under bilateral framework deals. This is the first wood/forest-products Section 232 instrument in US history.

President Trump signed Executive Order 14324, "Suspending Duty-Free De Minimis Treatment for All Countries," on 30 July 2025 (published in the Federal Register on 5 August 2025 as FR doc 2025-14897, 90 FR 37775). The order eliminated the Section 321(a)(2)(C) administrative exemption that had allowed shipments valued at $800 or less to enter the United States duty-free, applying the suspension to all countries of origin rather than the China/Hong Kong-only carve-out imposed earlier in 2025. DHS/CBP published a Notice of Implementation on 2 September 2025 (FR doc 2025-16802) modifying the Harmonized Tariff Schedule so that covered low-value goods must be entered via formal or informal ACE entry types and pay applicable duties; goods shipped through the international postal network were instead made subject to a new flat ad valorem or specific per-item duty rate set by HTSUS annex. The suspension took effect for entries on or after 12:01 a.m. EDT on 29 August 2025. A DHS/CBP rule published 24 June 2026 (FR doc 2026-12670) converted the non-postal suspension from time-limited to indefinite and closed the remaining international-postal-network exemption to formal/ informal entry procedures as well.

President Trump signed Proclamation 10962 on 30 July 2025, imposing a 50% Section 232 tariff on imports of semi-finished copper products (pipes, wires, rods, sheets, tubes, foils) and copper-intensive derivative products (cables, connectors, electrical components, pipe fittings) effective 12:01 a.m. ET on 1 August 2025. The proclamation also authorises the Commerce Secretary to impose a 25% domestic-sales requirement and export controls on high-quality copper scrap, and lays out a phased schedule for refined-copper tariffs (15% from 1 Jan 2027, 30% from 1 Jan 2028) contingent on a Commerce review report due 30 June 2026. Copper input materials (ores, concentrates, cathodes, anodes) and copper scrap itself are exempt from the 50% tariff. The original 90-day "inclusions" process for expanding the derivative list was terminated by a follow-on April 2026 proclamation that consolidated authority with Commerce + USTR.

At its 34th session in Harare on 5 June 2025, the SADC Committee of Ministers of Trade formally endorsed Angola's accession to the SADC Free Trade Area after Angola submitted its final tariff offer covering 90% of tariff lines — surpassing the SADC standard threshold of 85%. Angola becomes the 14th SADC member state to join the FTA, with implementation targeted for January 2026. The accession ends Angola's longstanding outlier status as the region's second-largest economy operating outside the bloc's duty-free zone, and opens tariff-free corridors between Angola and FTA members including South Africa, Zambia, DRC, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.

Mexico's Secretaría de Economía (SE), through UPCI, published a Resolución Preliminar in the Diario Oficial de la Federación on 26 February 2026 imposing a provisional anti-dumping duty on imports of dinnerware and loose ceramic dinnerware pieces, including porcelain, originating from China (tariff fractions 6911.10.01 and 6912.00.99, TIGIE). The duty is a reference-price mechanism: imports priced below USD 2.58/kg pay the difference between the import price and the reference price, capped at each exporter's individual dumping margin. The measure reopens a case originally dating to 2012, after Mexico's federal administrative courts (TFJA) nullified the 2014 original duty and its 2019 extension on procedural grounds; SE published the resolution reinitiating the investigation on 15 May 2025. In a related but separate proceeding, SE also published a resolution on 25 February 2026 formally closing out the sunset/validity review of the now-annulled 2014 duty (previously USD 2.61/kg).

The Mines and Minerals Development (Amendment) Act, No. 29 of 2022 restructures Zambia's Mineral Royalty Tax (MRT) on copper from a flat rate to a four-band price-linked sliding scale, effective 1 January 2023. Under the new regime, copper royalties range from 4% of norm value when the LME price is below USD 4,000/tonne to 10% when prices exceed USD 7,000/tonne — at prevailing LME copper prices (~USD 9,000–10,000/t in 2024–2026), the effective rate is 10%, one of the highest copper royalty rates in the global copper belt. The Act also codifies flat royalty rates for other base metals (5%), gemstones (6%), and precious metals (6%), and abolishes the prior flat-rate copper royalty that applied regardless of commodity-cycle position, materially increasing state rent capture in high-price environments while preserving a 4% floor for project viability at low prices.

The Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (Pub. L. 87-794, 76 Stat. 872), signed into law by President Kennedy on 11 October 1962 and codified at 19 U.S.C. §§ 1801–1991, is the foundational US statute granting the executive branch broad authority to negotiate tariff reductions and, critically via Section 232 (19 U.S.C. § 1862), to adjust imports of any article found by the Secretary of Commerce to threaten to impair national security. Section 232 empowers the President — on receipt of a Commerce Department affirmative national-security finding — to impose tariffs, quantitative restrictions, or other import-adjustment measures without congressional approval or WTO-required safeguard procedures. From 1962 to the Trump Administration's 2018–2026 wave of Section 232 Proclamations, the authority was invoked primarily for petroleum and machine-tool imports; since 2018 it has become the legal vehicle for national-security tariffs on steel, aluminum, automobiles, copper, timber, critical minerals, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals, with 19+ IPTM-filed implementing instruments citing Pub. L. 87-794 / 19 U.S.C. § 1862 as their statutory parent.