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"200 Deals" Trade Negotiations Unclear

President Trump and Marine One
President Donald Trump asserted significant progress in trade negotiations, stating he has secured “200 deals” with foreign leaders, with details to be disclosed in the coming weeks. In an interview with TIME magazine, he emphasized his direct involvement: “Ultimately, I’ve made all the deals.”  Trump highlighted ongoing discussions with China, claiming that President Xi Jinping had contacted him to initiate talks. However, China’s Foreign Ministry refuted this, stating, “China and the U.S. are NOT having any consultation or negotiation on #tariffs.” 
The rule imposes a $150 per car fee on non-US carriers beginning October, 2025
The US Trade Representative's office announced a schedule for the imposition of fees on Chinese-built vessels calling on US ports.   Markedly less punitive than initially proposed, Thursday's announced Section 301 measures will be implemented in two phases an escalating per-ton charge on foreign ships and, three years out, a scheme to penalize non-US LNG carriers,
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President's "Weave" Turns to "Swerve"

The President's discursive policymaking prowess was on full display this week.    Mr. Trump began holding firm on the "reciprocal" tariffs he proclaimed the week before, until relentless selling in the treasury market convinced Secretaries Bessent and Lutnick to sit him down and thumb out a reversal.

Liberation Day Tariffs Announced

Again dispensing with the niceties of congressional consent, President Trump invoked emergency powers and levied a 10% tariff on imports from all countries effective April 5th.   April 9th will see "individualized reciprocal higher tariffs'"  on countries with which the United States has the largest trade deficits.

Welcome to Your WTTL

The Washington Tariff and Trade Letter introduces a web-based format for easier review, research and sharing.  Clicking on a story in the newsletter will now bring you to the full text on our new web site. A .pdf version of the newsletter is available below.   For any questions about website access and your subscription, please contact us at Info@TradeRegs.com – Or call the Editor, Frank Ruffing, at +1.703.283.5220

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at the Economic Club of New York March 6,2025

Bessent says chill, re-center

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told investors at a closed-door JPMorgan Chase summit Tuesday that the ongoing trade conflict between the United States and China is “unsustainable,” and indicated that both sides would need to find ways to de-escalate. In a speech the next day Bessent called for a "recentering" of the missions of the IMF and World Bank.

IEEPA Tariff FAQs Published

US Customs & Border Protection has published an FAQ page on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) as it relates to tariffs.
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Minas Gerais coffee plantation, Brazil

Modern Slavery Enforcement

April has seen enforcement actions on Chinese work gloves, South Korean Sea Salt, and most recently a petition based on evidence of modern slavery in the Brazilian coffee industry.

Legal Challenges to IEEPA Tariffs Stack Up

As of April 25, 2025, seven lawsuits have been filed challenging President Trump’s imposition of tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a 1977 statute traditionally used for targeted economic sanctions.

Trucks and Minerals Trade Investigations

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced the initiation of two separate national security investigations under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended (19 U.S.C. § 1862). The investigations will evaluate the impact of (1) processed critical minerals and their derivative products, and (2) imports of medium- and heavy-duty trucks and related parts, on the national security of the United States.

DDTC Arms Sales Report Released

The U.S. Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) has released its Annual Report to Congress on Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) Authorizations to Foreign Countries and International Organizations for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024.
On the calendar
Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, has called on the Trump administration to exempt small businesses from the sweeping tariffs announced earlier this month, citing disproportionate harm to Main Street enterprises.
The House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party has issued subpoenas to China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom—three state-owned Chinese telecommunications firms—for failing to respond to a bipartisan request for information dated March 4. The subpoenas, which require compliance by May 7, 2025, are part of an ongoing congressional investigation into whether the companies continue to operate within the United States in ways that may endanger national security or compromise the privacy of U.S. citizens.
The United Kingdom announced substantial amendments to its Syria sanctions regime, signaling a strategic shift in support of Syria’s post-Assad reconstruction. The updated regulations lift sanctions on 12 Syrian entities and remove restrictions in select sectors, including financial services and energy production.
The European Union has formally initiated arbitration under Article 25 of the World Trade Organization’s Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU) in the ongoing intellectual property dispute with China (DS611), concerning Beijing’s enforcement practices in standard-essential patent (SEP) litigation. The EU’s notice of appeal, circulated to WTO members Thursday, marks the second appeal proceeding conducted under the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA), which substitutes the WTO Appellate Body’s functions for participating members.
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published a final rule in the Federal Register amending the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to add 18 foreign entities to the Unverified List (UVL) and remove five previously listed parties.

Solar Import Duties to 3,521%

The U.S. Department of Commerce has concluded its investigation into solar panel imports from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, determining that these imports were sold below fair market value and benefited from unfair subsidies. As a result, the Department has imposed antidumping and countervailing duties, with rates varying by country and company.

Can the WTO survive Trump?

The stakes for the WTO’s future are teeteringly high. Economists warn that Trump’s attempts to bypass the organization and bargain bilaterally with dozens of countries – in breach of the “most favored nation” rule meant to ensure all member states share the same trade advantages – risk unravelling the multilateral system the organization was established to uphold.

State Dept. Warns of Using Chinese Networks

A confidential State Department memo obtained by Nextgov/FCW and Defense One advises U.S. diplomats to warn international partners against doing business with Chinese satellite communications providers, citing risks of espionage and military exploitation by Beijing. The memo also addresses the geopolitical implications of relying on U.S.-based satellite services, notably SpaceX’s Starlink.

Iran Propane Trader Sanctioned

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today designated Iranian liquified petroleum gas (LPG) trader Seyed Asadoollah Emamjomeh, his son Meisam Emamjomeh, and their global network of companies and vessels for facilitating the export of Iranian LPG and crude oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.