Background
In April 2018, the Administration released a list of Chinese imports subject to a new, 25% tariff as a result of an investigation conducted under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. The new Section 301 tariffs apply to over 1,300 Chinese imports. Among those listed are a number of products that healthcare providers rely on to conduct ongoing healthcare procedures and respond to public health events.
In June 2018, the USTR announced a final list of tariffs which applied to 818 of the 1,333 products that were included on the original proposed list. A 25% tariff on these products went into effect July 6, 2018. In a notice published August 16, 2018, the USTR determined to take additional action and add 25% tariffs to another list of products, which went into effect on Aug. 23, 2018. Then, on Sept. 17, 2018, USTR finalized tariffs on approximately $200 billion Chinese imports. Tariffs went into effect Sept. 24, 2018, initially at 10%.
After conducting a review of the tariff lists from 2018 and 2019, the USTR has recommended changes that include increases for medical products such as masks, gloves and needles and syringes.