Section 232 Pharmaceutical Tariffs 2026: The Complete Guide for Importers Before September 29
Update, 28 July 2026: Two developments since this guide first published. First, Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security opened the onshoring-agreement application process on 13 May 2026, with initial applications due by 12 June 2026, so the reduced-rate pathways are now live rather than pending. Second, the 31 July 2026 effective date for the 17 […]
CPSC Mandatory eFiling July 2026: The Complete Importer’s Action Guide for July 8
CPSC mandatory eFiling July 2026 takes effect on July 8, exactly 63 days from today. On that date, every importer of regulated consumer products entering the United States must electronically file product certificate data through CBP’s Automated Commercial Environment at the time of entry. Not after. Not on request. At the time of entry. The […]
China Rare Earth Export Controls 2026: The 0.1% Rule Returns November 10
On October 9, 2025, China’s Ministry of Commerce issued MOFCOM Notice 61, among the most aggressive extraterritorial export control measures ever applied to a raw material. It mirrors the architecture of the US Foreign Direct Product Rule applied to advanced technology, but applies that architecture to rare earth content in physical goods for the first […]
USMCA 2026 Review: The US Declined to Renew, What the Annual Review Now Means for Importers
On 1 July 2026, the United States, Mexico, and Canada held the first mandatory joint review of the USMCA under Article 34.7, and the United States declined to renew the agreement for a further 16 years. This did not end the agreement. It triggered an annual review process: the USMCA remains fully in force through […]
IEEPA Tariff Refund CAPE Portal 2026: Step-by-Step Filing Guide for Importers
Update, 28 July 2026: The CAPE refund system has expanded well beyond its original launch. Phase 1 opened on 20 April 2026 for entries not yet finally liquidated. Phase 2 followed on 29 June, adding certain reconciliation-flagged entries. Phase 3, for finally liquidated entries, began rolling out in late July, but with a critical restriction: […]
Section 301 Investigations 2026: The Two Probes, What the Forced-Labour One Concluded, and What Overcapacity Still Threatens
On March 11 and March 12, 2026, the Office of the United States Trade Representative launched two of the most consequential sets of trade investigations in a generation. The first of the Section 301 investigations 2026 targets 16 major economies for structural manufacturing overcapacity. The second of the Section 301 investigations 2026 targets 60 economies […]
Multi-Cloud AI Infrastructure Import Compliance: The Complete Guide for AWS, Azure and Google Cloud Deployments
On March 16, 2026, AWS announced at NVIDIA GTC that starting in 2026 it will deploy more than one million NVIDIA GPUs, including Blackwell and Rubin architectures, across its global cloud regions. Reuters confirmed on March 19, 2026, that NVIDIA plans to deliver this quantity to Amazon’s cloud division by end of 2027. Those one […]
Supply Chain Diversification Away From China 2026: Vietnam, India, Mexico and the IOR Requirements Every Importer Needs
US goods imports from China totalled USD 308.4 billion in 2025, down 29.7% from 2024, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative. This represents the lowest level since 2009 and reflects the structural shift underway in global sourcing. For North American buyers, the combined share of their top three supplier countries fell […]
HS 2028: The Harmonized System Update Every Importer Must Prepare For Now
The World Customs Organization has formally adopted the next edition of the Harmonized System. HS 2028 enters into force on January 1, 2028, bringing 299 sets of changes to the classification framework that underpins every customs declaration, duty calculation, and free trade agreement eligibility determination made by over 200 economies worldwide. For HS 2028 importers, […]
Importer of Record vs Customs Broker: What’s the Difference and Why It Matters
The most expensive mistake in international trade compliance is not a wrong tariff code or a missing certificate. It is assuming that a customs broker and an importer of record are the same thing. They are not, and the difference carries legal and financial consequences that most businesses only discover after a shipment is held, […]