Month: October 2022

China Tariffs

Section 301 Update: Four-Year Review, Exclusions, Litigation, and the Future of China Tariffs

By: Adrienne Braumiller, Partner & Founder, Braumiller Law Group

China Tariffs are here to stay – for now. The Biden Administration continues to defend the Trump-era tariffs on goods from China with little guidance as domestic inflation climbs steadily. Meanwhile, 2022 has been a busy year for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (“USTR”). The agency was instructed by the Court of International Trade to provide further written justification for the Section 301 Actions for Lists 3 and 4a in the wake of the agency’s obligatory four-year review of each tariff action.

Read More »
Tuas Megaport

Tuas Megaport in Singapore, An Upcoming Model to the World in Port Operations, and soon to be Light Years Ahead of the Globes Largest Ports

By: Bob Brewer, Braumiller Law Group
The Maritime Port Authority (MPA in Singapore) is currently in the process of building the Tuas Port, which will be the biggest port in the world with a capacity of 60 million TEU’s (twenty-foot equivalent units) once it is fully completed in 2040. PSA, the company taking the lead in the construction has implemented a four-phase process, with the first phase officially opening this September 2022, with three berths being operational.

Read More »
cyber related assets

OFAC Reissues Cyber-Related Sanctions Regulations

By: Mike Smiszek, Senior Trade Advisor, Braumiller Consulting Group

An inherent aspect of any new technology is that it doesn’t take long for bad actors to figure out how it can be weaponized for nefarious purposes. Cyber-related technologies represent an increasingly dangerous area of risk for everyone, whether they are individual citizens, business and infrastructure entities, or governments. Adversaries of the U.S., including China, Russia, and North Korea have engaged in acts of cyberespionage, often intended not only to cause actual harm, but also to test our ability to counter acts of malicious cyber-intrusion.

Read More »
CHIPS Act

What is the CHIPS Act, and Will it Fix the Semiconductor Supply Chain Issues?

By: Craig McClure, Senior Trade Advisor, Braumiller Consulting Group

Unless you’ve been living on a lost island in the South Pacific, you are no doubt aware of the shortage of semiconductors. The shortage and supply chain issues have been highlighted in media reports that feature video images of parking lots and fields full of partially assembled automobiles at many U.S. auto manufacturing locations.

Read More »
Antidumping Duties

Antidumping Duties – Can I Obtain a Separate Lower Rate?

By: Paul Fudacz, Partner, Braumiller Law Group
In Antidumping (AD) investigations, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) typically selects only a limited number of exporting entities for review, with these exporters referred to as “individual” or “named” respondents. Selection of these respondents is based on U.S. Customs and Border Protection Data, and in most cases due to limited DOC resources, will consist of only a few of the largest exporters. If the selected respondents cooperate fully with the government investigation, and can demonstrate fair export pricing, they can obtain an individual AD rate that is generally favorable, or possibly de minimis, resulting in a zero rate.

Read More »
semiconductor industry in mexico

The Semiconductor Industry in México

By: Brenda Cordova and Francisco de la Cruz, Of Counsel, Braumiller Law Group

According to the science of composition, a semiconductor is a material which, when subject to light, heat or a specific electrical voltage may be transformed into a conductor. Semiconductors are used to produce memory sticks, PC cards, smart cards, microchips, microprocessors, transistors, compact flash, start media, among many other items.

Read More »
CBDC Central Bank Digital Currency

Can, and Should, the U.S. Government Develop a CBDC System?

By: James Holbein, Braumiller Law Group PLLC
In response to the Executive Order on Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets issued on March 9, 2022, both the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Treasury Department (Treasury) have recently issued reports analyzing the possible design and feasibility of creating a U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). The reports make clear that significant technical issues and major policy considerations need to be addressed for the U.S. to develop a CBDC. Both reports look at time frames in years, not weeks or months, for such a system.

Read More »
Section 301 Actions

Snapshot of Section 301 Litigation – Litigating the Adequacy of the USTR’s Rationale for List 3 and List 4a

By: Harold Jackson, Braumiller Law Group Associate
The legality of the Section 301 Actions for List 3 ($200 Billion Trade Action) and 4a ($300 Billion Trade Action) continues to be contentiously disputed before the Court of International Trade. The mass action, In re Section 301 Cases, No. 21-00052, encompasses claims of over 6,500 Plaintiffs that argue the Section 301 Duties, enacted under the Trade Act of 1974, are illegal.

Read More »
China invading taiwan

 China’s Economic Cost of Invading Taiwan

By: Victoria Holmes, Braumiller Law Group
China and Taiwan have been locked in a tussle for decades over who gets to call the island country home. China considers Taiwan a breakaway province, while Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign nation. The recent increase in tensions between China and Taiwan has many experts worried that Chinese forces may soon attempt to retake the mainland by force, but that won’t happen anytime soon. China would face a prolonged conflict on its doorstep that would worsen its already strained economic conditions.

Read More »
Taiwan

Taiwan, Invasion & Trade, Part 2

By: Victoria Holmes, Braumiller Law Group
President elect Lai Ching-te’s victory in Taipei ignited tensions across the Taiwan strait and now the geopolitical field waits to see if China

Read More »
China Tariffs

Section 301 Update: Four-Year Review, Exclusions, Litigation, and the Future of China Tariffs

By: Adrienne Braumiller, Partner & Founder, Braumiller Law Group

China Tariffs are here to stay – for now. The Biden Administration continues to defend the Trump-era tariffs on goods from China with little guidance as domestic inflation climbs steadily. Meanwhile, 2022 has been a busy year for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (“USTR”). The agency was instructed by the Court of International Trade to provide further written justification for the Section 301 Actions for Lists 3 and 4a in the wake of the agency’s obligatory four-year review of each tariff action.

Read More »
Tuas Megaport

Tuas Megaport in Singapore, An Upcoming Model to the World in Port Operations, and soon to be Light Years Ahead of the Globes Largest Ports

By: Bob Brewer, Braumiller Law Group
The Maritime Port Authority (MPA in Singapore) is currently in the process of building the Tuas Port, which will be the biggest port in the world with a capacity of 60 million TEU’s (twenty-foot equivalent units) once it is fully completed in 2040. PSA, the company taking the lead in the construction has implemented a four-phase process, with the first phase officially opening this September 2022, with three berths being operational.

Read More »
cyber related assets

OFAC Reissues Cyber-Related Sanctions Regulations

By: Mike Smiszek, Senior Trade Advisor, Braumiller Consulting Group

An inherent aspect of any new technology is that it doesn’t take long for bad actors to figure out how it can be weaponized for nefarious purposes. Cyber-related technologies represent an increasingly dangerous area of risk for everyone, whether they are individual citizens, business and infrastructure entities, or governments. Adversaries of the U.S., including China, Russia, and North Korea have engaged in acts of cyberespionage, often intended not only to cause actual harm, but also to test our ability to counter acts of malicious cyber-intrusion.

Read More »
CHIPS Act

What is the CHIPS Act, and Will it Fix the Semiconductor Supply Chain Issues?

By: Craig McClure, Senior Trade Advisor, Braumiller Consulting Group

Unless you’ve been living on a lost island in the South Pacific, you are no doubt aware of the shortage of semiconductors. The shortage and supply chain issues have been highlighted in media reports that feature video images of parking lots and fields full of partially assembled automobiles at many U.S. auto manufacturing locations.

Read More »
Antidumping Duties

Antidumping Duties – Can I Obtain a Separate Lower Rate?

By: Paul Fudacz, Partner, Braumiller Law Group
In Antidumping (AD) investigations, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) typically selects only a limited number of exporting entities for review, with these exporters referred to as “individual” or “named” respondents. Selection of these respondents is based on U.S. Customs and Border Protection Data, and in most cases due to limited DOC resources, will consist of only a few of the largest exporters. If the selected respondents cooperate fully with the government investigation, and can demonstrate fair export pricing, they can obtain an individual AD rate that is generally favorable, or possibly de minimis, resulting in a zero rate.

Read More »
semiconductor industry in mexico

The Semiconductor Industry in México

By: Brenda Cordova and Francisco de la Cruz, Of Counsel, Braumiller Law Group

According to the science of composition, a semiconductor is a material which, when subject to light, heat or a specific electrical voltage may be transformed into a conductor. Semiconductors are used to produce memory sticks, PC cards, smart cards, microchips, microprocessors, transistors, compact flash, start media, among many other items.

Read More »
CBDC Central Bank Digital Currency

Can, and Should, the U.S. Government Develop a CBDC System?

By: James Holbein, Braumiller Law Group PLLC
In response to the Executive Order on Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets issued on March 9, 2022, both the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Treasury Department (Treasury) have recently issued reports analyzing the possible design and feasibility of creating a U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). The reports make clear that significant technical issues and major policy considerations need to be addressed for the U.S. to develop a CBDC. Both reports look at time frames in years, not weeks or months, for such a system.

Read More »
Section 301 Actions

Snapshot of Section 301 Litigation – Litigating the Adequacy of the USTR’s Rationale for List 3 and List 4a

By: Harold Jackson, Braumiller Law Group Associate
The legality of the Section 301 Actions for List 3 ($200 Billion Trade Action) and 4a ($300 Billion Trade Action) continues to be contentiously disputed before the Court of International Trade. The mass action, In re Section 301 Cases, No. 21-00052, encompasses claims of over 6,500 Plaintiffs that argue the Section 301 Duties, enacted under the Trade Act of 1974, are illegal.

Read More »
China invading taiwan

 China’s Economic Cost of Invading Taiwan

By: Victoria Holmes, Braumiller Law Group
China and Taiwan have been locked in a tussle for decades over who gets to call the island country home. China considers Taiwan a breakaway province, while Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign nation. The recent increase in tensions between China and Taiwan has many experts worried that Chinese forces may soon attempt to retake the mainland by force, but that won’t happen anytime soon. China would face a prolonged conflict on its doorstep that would worsen its already strained economic conditions.

Read More »