Breaking News: China to Remove Tariffs on U.S. Hardwoods
Based on reports from the Agricultural Specialist at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing as well as the Chinese Ministry of Finance, the Chinese government will remove U.S. hardwood lumber import tariffs starting on February 28, 2020, for one year.
The list of products that could potentially have tariffs removed starting next Friday can be viewed HERE. The product list comes from the statement by China’s State Council Tariff Commission.
The attached form is “1.第二批对美加征关税商品第一次排除清单一” from the State Council Tariff Commission statement, which appears to be goods where tariffs will no longer be levied, and importers are eligible for refunds. You’ll notice several US hardwood product HS codes on this list, such as oak lumber and logs, cherry and ash lumber, and “other” hardwood lumber and logs. You’ll also see that oak lumber and logs are marked with “ex” for “excluded”.
Work is underway to define exactly what that will mean for these products and what the definite tariff rate will be moving forward.