US tariffs on imports of Chinese-origin products went into effect at 12.01am ET on February 4, 2025, with 10% duties being imposed on all imports of Chinese-origin goods. The executive order implementing the tariffs directs that in addition to imposing 10% tariffs on all goods of Chinese origin, low-value shipments of Chinese-origin goods are no longer eligible for duty-free entry under Section 321 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 USC 1321), significantly impacting e-commerce…
Baker McKenzie’s Global Customs Practice invites you to join us for a webinar we’ll be hosting on “Trump and Tariffs: Focus on the US, Canada and Mexico”.This one-hour webinar will take place Wednesday, 5 February 2025 at 10:00 Mexico City / 11:00 EST / 17:00 CET. On February 1st 2025, President Trump signed executive orders imposing the long-anticipated tariffs he has called on for Canada and Mexico including 25% tariffs on non-energy imports from Canada and on all…
At the time of the publication of this blog post on February 3, 2025, the duties on Mexican products have been paused. Stay tuned for updates and insights and practical tips for trade between the United States and Mexico. On February 3, 2025, minutes before the Mexican President’s daily press conference, Claudia Sheinbaum, President of Mexico, and Donald Trump, President of the United States, held a telephone conference whereby they agreed to pause, for one…
President Trump signed an executive order on February 1, 2025 (“Executive Order”), imposing the long-anticipated tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“U.S. Tariffs”).Canada retaliated swiftly by implementing retaliatory tariffs/countermeasures at a rate of 25% pursuant to sections 53 and 79 of the Customs Tariff by way of an Order in Council (United States Surtax Order (2025) (“Canada Tariffs”). Read the Government of Canada’s press release here. For the…
The Control of Items in Relation to the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction Committee of Thailand agreed to enforce the licensing requirement for the export and re-export of dual-use items. The first pilot scheme will apply to heavy and nuclear equipment. Click here to access the full alert.
On April 22, 2024, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced its initiation of a Section 301 investigation into China’s acts, policies and practices in the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors. The investigation is in response to a petition filed in March by five US labor unions alleging that China engages in unreasonable or discriminatory practices that provide unfair advantages in the maritime industries. The petition cited specific conduct alleged to target the maritime, logistics,…
When importing goods into the UK, traders are required to account for any applicable customs duty and import VAT (collectively “Duties”) on import unless they can utilise a customs special procedure to delay or reduce payment of these amounts. Customs special procedures include the Inward Processing (“IP”) regime which allows traders to suspend the Duties while the imported goods are subject to repair or further manufacturing. Where a trader utilises IP, they are required to…
On 21 March 2024, the French Senate (French Parliament’s higher chamber) rejected the bill of the French government proposing to approve the EU-Canada Comprehensive Trade Agreement (CETA). For several years, the European Commission and the Canadian government negotiated a comprehensive free trade agreement, including new types of provisions on investment. It was the first ever ambitious free-trade agreement that the EU concluded with a G7 country (Japan and the UK were concluded later). The CETA…
Background On 4 March 2024 the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament reached a provisional political agreement on a new Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste (the “Regulation”). The Regulation will replace the current Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive 94/62/EC, aiming to reduce packaging waste and introducing a range of sustainability measures including a requirement for all packaging to be recyclable by 2030. The Regulation is an integral part of the European…
The transitional phase of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (“CBAM”) is now underway with the deadline for submitting the first CBAM quarterly reports having already passed on 31 January 2024 (although with an extension until the end of February).* The CBAM requires importers to report the embedded greenhouse gas emissions in carbon-intensive goods (initially aluminium, cement, iron and steel, electricity, fertilisers and hydrogen) and, from the commencement of the operational phase in 2026, purchase “CBAM…