Government Affairs

Trade, Tariff and Postal Shifts

On Jan. 15, President Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He signed the Phase One trade agreement between the U.S. and China consisting of seven chapters on intellectual property rights, technology transfer, food and agricultural products, financial services, exchange rate matters and transparency, expanding trade, and bilateral evaluation and dispute resolution procedures. The…

Trade and Tariff Developments for 2020

Significant progress has been made with regard to the issue of tariffs in the trade dispute between the United States and China. The USTR announced on Dec. 13, 2019, the completion of a Phase One trade agreement with China. U.S. tariffs on List-4B products that were subject to 15% duties set to commence on Dec. 15, 2019, were cancelled, and tariffs on List 4A products…

Efforts to Correct the Universal Postal Union (UPU) Problem Spark Further Changes

In a recent article posted on the Bloomberg website, IHA member Mighty Mug was singled out for successfully drawing the President’s attention to a vast disparity in shipping rates between U.S. and Chinese companies. The efforts to correct the United Postal Union (UPU) problem are possibly leading to other changes in US foreign policy and specifically with the U.S.’s…

Trade and Tariff Saga Continues

Trade and tariff issues are a priority on the IHA’s government affairs agenda, with tariffs on China being the main concern. Hopefully, a “phase one” deal between the U.S. and China can be finalized to bring some relief from the 16-month trade war that’s disrupted global supply chains, but until a deal happens the tariff exclusion process and/or sourcing alternatives to China…

UPU Agreement a Win for Housewares Industry

The housewares industry realized a victory when the Universal Postal Union (UPU) agreed in September to revise international shipping rates to not discriminate against U.S. shippers. Founded in 1875, the UPU sets postal rates among its member countries and had a formula where it cost about $20 to mail a small parcel in the U.S., but about $5 from China to the U.S. The…