The Trump administration has removed its “reciprocal” tariffs on various food items imported from all countries and announced trade framework agreements with Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Guatemala. The White House said it will work “expeditiously” to finalize these agreements, prepare them for signature, and undertake domestic formalities in advance of their entering into force.
Agricultural Tariffs
Effective with respect to goods entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption on or after 12:01 a.m. EDT on Nov. 13, the U.S. has removed the reciprocal tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act on a number of agricultural products not grown or produced in sufficient quantities in the U.S. This change affects imports of covered goods from all countries, not just the four mentioned above.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said this action applies to 237 HTSUS classifications and 11 additional categories of agricultural products, all of which are listed in Annex I of the associated executive order. The White House said covered goods include coffee and tea; tropical fruits and fruit juices; cocoa and spices; bananas, oranges, and tomatoes; beef; and additional fertilizers.
Other Tariffs
- The U.S. plans to remove reciprocal tariffs on (1) certain non-patented articles from Argentina for use in pharmaceutical applications and (2) certain products from El Salvador and Guatemala, such as textiles and apparel, qualifying under the CAFTA-DR agreement.
- The U.S. will “positively consider” the agreements with Argentina and El Salvador when taking future Section 232 actions, such as imposing import tariffs.
- Argentina will provide preferential market access for U.S. goods, including certain medicines, chemicals, machinery, information technology products, medical devices, motor vehicles, and a wide range of agricultural products.
- Ecuador will reduce or eliminate tariffs on imports from the U.S. in key sectors, including machinery, health products, information and communications technology goods, chemicals, motor vehicles, and certain agricultural products, and intends to establish tariff-rate quotas on a number of other agricultural goods.
Non-Tariff Barriers
- Argentina (1) will allow entry of U.S. goods that comply with applicable U.S. or international standards, U.S. technical regulations, or U.S. or international conformity assessment procedures without additional conformity assessment requirements, (2) has committed not to require consular formalities for U.S. exports to Argentina, and (3) will phase out the statistical tax for U.S. goods.
- Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Guatemala will address a range of non-tariff barriers, including by streamlining regulatory requirements and approvals for U.S. exports, such as (1) accepting vehicles and automotive parts built to U.S. motor vehicle safety and emissions standards, (2) accepting Food and Drug Administration certificates and prior marketing authorizations for medical devices and pharmaceuticals, and (3) accepting remanufactured goods from the U.S.
Agriculture
- Argentina will (1) allow access for U.S. poultry and poultry products within one year, (2) simplify red tape for U.S. exporters of beef, beef products, pork, and pork products, and (3) not apply facility registration for imports of U.S. dairy products.
- Ecuador is reforming its import licensing and facility registration systems for food and agricultural products to enhance transparency and predictability.
- El Salvador will address and prevent barriers to U.S. agricultural products, including with regard to fumigation requirements, facility registration, product registration, and acceptance of currently-agreed certificates issued by U.S. regulatory authorities.
- Guatemala will address and prevent barriers to U.S. agricultural products, including with regard to U.S. regulatory oversight and acceptance of currently-agreed certificates issued by U.S. regulatory authorities, and has committed to maintain science- and risk-based regulatory frameworks and efficient authorization processes for agricultural products.
Other
Other commitments made by all four countries include the following.
- advancing trade-facilitating measures, including with respect to express delivery shipments and pre-shipment inspections (Ecuador only)
- preventing barriers to digital trade with the U.S. and not imposing discriminatory digital services taxes
- prohibiting the importation of goods produced by forced or compulsory labor
- taking complementary actions to address the non-market policies of other countries and cooperating with the U.S. on duty evasion, government procurement, investment security, and export controls
- improving rules and enforcement, and addressing issues identified in an annual U.S. report, regarding intellectual property
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