U.S. AND CHINA INTRODUCE NEW TRADE MEASURES AND EXPORT CONTROLS The White House announced plans to impose a 100 percent tariff on imports from China beginning November 1, 2025. The announcement follows China’s expansion of export controls on rare earth materials used in manufacturing and technology production. The United [...]
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has finalized key modifications under the Section 301 investigation into China’s targeting of the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors. The determination follows the responsive measures initiated on April 17, 2025, and incorporates public feedback received since the June 2025 proposal. [...]
WHAT TARIFF ACTIONS ON CHINA HAS THE WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCED? The White House announced on October 10, 2025, through social media, that the United States will impose a 100 percent tariff on imports from China, in addition to all existing duties already in effect. The same statement confirmed that new [...]
HOW ARE LABOR ACTIONS AFFECTING ROTTERDAM’S TERMINALS? Lashing crews at the Port of Rotterdam began a 48-hour strike on October 8, 2025, in a dispute over wages and working conditions. The strike halted container securing and release operations across several major terminals, including APM Maasvlakte II, Hutchinson Ports Delta II, [...]
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has activated a new Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) enhancement that automatically rejects manifest filings missing critical shipment details. The update went into effect on September 27, 2025, and applies across all transportation modes. WHY DID CBP MAKE THIS CHANGE? CBP’s new automation is part [...]
USTR SECTION 301 PORT-FEE IMPLEMENTATION PROMPTS FLEET REALIGNMENT The October 14, 2025, implementation of USTR’s Section 301 vessel-fee measure is prompting major carriers to adjust network deployment and reduce exposure to Chinese-built tonnage calling at U.S. ports. The policy introduces phased service fees on Chinese-owned and Chinese-built vessels over [...]
The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has posted the second round of product inclusion requests for steel and aluminum derivatives under Section 232 tariffs. Ninety-five requests were submitted to the Department of Commerce for review, each proposing new Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) subheadings for potential [...]
HOW IS CBP OPERATING DURING THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN? U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has confirmed that trade operations will continue without interruption during the federal government shutdown. All CBP personnel responsible for processing imports, enforcing tariffs, and managing trade compliance are classified as exempted employees and are required to [...]
WHAT DOES THE PFIZER MOST-FAVORED-NATION AGREEMENT MEAN FOR U.S. TRADE POLICY? On September 30, 2025, the White House announced an agreement with Pfizer establishing the first application of most-favored-nation (MFN) pricing to U.S. pharmaceuticals. The policy is based on Executive Order 14297, signed May 12, 2025, “Delivering Most-Favored-Nation Prescription Drug [...]
WEAK TRANSPACIFIC DEMAND AND SOUTH CHINA CONGESTION AHEAD OF GOLDEN WEEK Golden Week closures from October 1, 2025, through October 7, 2025, and residual typhoon recovery continue to pressure South China’s supply network while trans-Pacific volumes remain subdued. Space availability is ample across most lanes, with limited constraints on [...]
