On October 30, 2020, the President issued a Proclamation to Modify Duty-Free Treatment Under the Generalized System of Preferences and for Other Purposes (not yet published in the Federal Register). The Proclamation:

  • suspends the duty-free treatment accorded under the GSP to certain eligible articles that are the product of Thailand, effective on December 30, 2020, and modifies general note 4(d) of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS)to reflect that suspension;
  • modifies the Rates of Duty 1-Special subcolumn for the corresponding HTS subheadings and general note 4(d) to the HTS in order to provide that one or more countries are no longer be treated as beneficiary developing countries with respect to one or more eligible articles for purposes of the GSP, as set forth in sections A, B, and C of Annex II to the proclamation;
  • modifies the Rates of Duty 1-Special subcolumn for the corresponding HTS subheading In order to withdraw the application of duty-free treatment accorded to one eligible article as set forth in section D of Annex II to the proclamation;
  • modifies the Rates of Duty 1-Special subcolumn for the corresponding HTS subheading in order to designate a certain article as an eligible article when imported from a beneficiary developing country for purposes of the GSP as set forth in section E of Annex II to the proclamation;
  • disregards the competitive need limitation provided in section 503(c)(2)(A)(i)(II) of the Trade Act of 1974 with respect to the eligible articles in the HTS subheadings and to the beneficiary developing countries set forth in Annex III to the proclamation; and
  • modifies additional US note 6 to Chapter 20 to reflect the change of name from “Macedonia” to “North Macedonia.

The modifications to the HTS set forth in Annex II and Annex III of the proclamation shall be effective with respect to articles entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on November 1, 2020. The Annexes were not attached to the Proclamation as made available by the White House, but will appear when the Proclamation is published in the Federal Register.