232 Probes Expand to Medical & Machinery; ACE Modernizes; AD/CVD Actions and WTO Reform in Focus
NEWSLETTER | Trade Insight AI
BIS Launches Section 232 Probes; Tariffs Loom for Medical Goods, Machinery
STR Trade Report • September 26, 2025
The Commerce Department’s BIS is accepting comments by Oct. 17 on two new Section 232 national security investigations covering imports from all countries of medical goods (including PPE, consumables, equipment, and devices) and robotics/industrial machinery—potentially leading to additional tariffs or quotas. BIS seeks data on U.S. demand, domestic capacity, supply chain concentration, foreign subsidies and pricing, and risks from export restrictions or “weaponization” to determine if trade measures are warranted. Importers, healthcare systems, and manufacturers should assess exposure across relevant HTS lines and consider submitting evidence to shape the outcome.
U.S. Trade Operations & Compliance Modernization
CBP Maps ACE Modernization: Cross-Border Tests, COAC Recommendations, 2033 Plan
STR Trade Report •September 25, 2025
CBP outlined an ACE modernization roadmap—enhancing, not replacing, ACE—to boost supply chain visibility, speed cargo determinations, reduce manual processes and cash handling, and strengthen cyber resilience. The agency is advancing global interoperability standards with a final data-exchange demo with foreign customs this year and pilots on pipeline oil from Canada and steel from Mexico, followed by 2026 import-processing tests with PGAs for natural gas, food safety, and medical devices; a long-term strategy extends beyond 2033. COAC urged near-term operational fixes (arrival timestamps in ABI, clear provisional vs. actual release dates, automated entry-date selection, and streamlined ocean manifest data), signaling forthcoming changes to data standards and messaging for filers and carriers.
CBP Simplifies ACH Duty Refund Setup in ACE Starting Sept. 30
STR Trade Report •September 26, 2025
Effective Sept. 30, CBP will launch an ACH Refund Authorization tab in the ACE Secure Data Portal, replacing the email-based enrollment process for electronic refunds. The shift is expected to speed disbursements and reduce issues common with paper checks (missing/misdelivered payments, fraud); only ACE account owners can initiate authorizations initially, with user delegation to follow. Importers can still designate third parties via CBP Form 4811, but those designees will continue receiving paper checks until CBP enables electronic payments for them; filers without ACE access may continue to enroll via email.
COAC Urges CBP to Codify Reconciliation and PSC, Expand AD/CVD Eligibility
STR Trade Report •September 26, 2025
At its Sept. 17 meeting, COAC urged CBP to move the decades‑old reconciliation prototype and the 2011 PSC test into formal regulations, providing greater certainty for importers. The group also recommended operational upgrades: allow flagging/unflagging reconciliation via PSC; permit AD/CVD entries to be flagged for value and HTSUS 9802; add electronic “no file” reminders and a query to identify unreconciled entries. For PSCs reverted back to the trade, COAC asked CBP to provide detailed reasons and contact information to improve transparency and resolution speed.
CBP Streamlines Tonnage Taxes with Fiscal-Year Alignment, E-Receipts
STR Trade Report •September 25, 2025
CBP issued an interim final rule effective Sept. 16 to simplify tonnage tax administration and standardize the “tonnage year” to the federal fiscal year (Oct. 1–Sept. 30); vessels paid up in September or not yet paid will restart accruals Oct. 1, 2025. The rule eliminates paper Form 1002—payment data submitted via the Mobile Collections and Receipt app or CBP Form 368 now serves as the certificate—and allows a single electronic receipt covering tonnage taxes and light money. Comments are due Nov. 17; vessel operators and agents should adjust tracking for annual caps and transition to electronic documentation.
Enforcement & AD/CVD Actions
AD/CVD Update: Hexamine Finalized, HRC Orders Extended, Taiwan Retroactive Deposits
STR Trade Report •September 26, 2025
Commerce assigned a 5.68% dumping margin in the 2022–23 review of forged steel fittings from Korea and issued final AD determinations on hexamethylenetetramine from Germany, India, and Saudi Arabia, plus a final CVD determination for India. It also made a preliminary affirmative critical circumstances finding in the CVD probe of monomers/oligomers from Taiwan, triggering CVD cash deposits on entries on or after May 27. The ITC delivered a final injury ruling on paper file folders from Sri Lanka (clearing the way for an AD order) and, in a sunset review, kept AD/CVD orders on hot‑rolled steel from China, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Ukraine in place.
AD/CVD Roundup: New Injury Finding, Zero Margin, Major Wood Flooring Rates
STR Trade Report •September 25, 2025
The ITC issued a final affirmative injury finding on sol‑gel alumina ceramic abrasive grains from China, paving the way for AD/CVD orders, while Commerce’s reviews set a 5.16% CVD rate on Indian PTFE (2023 POR) and a zero dumping margin for Korean cut‑to‑length steel plate (Feb 2023–Jan 2024). Commerce also continued the suspension of the Mexican sugar AD/CVD investigations effective Sept. 9. For Chinese multilayer wood flooring, final 2022 CVD rates span 10.51% to 430.38%, and amended 2017 results now range from 2.45% to 122.94% following a court decision—prompting importers to reassess cash deposit exposure across affected lines.
DOT Opens Comment Period to Bolster Cargo Theft Security
STR Trade Report •September 25, 2025
DOT is accepting comments through Oct. 20 on strategies to curb cargo theft, which it frames as a national security threat that disrupts supply chains and raises costs. The agency seeks input from government, law enforcement, and industry on risk hotspots by mode, data gaps, at‑risk commodities, detection/response barriers, interagency coordination, and best practices. Responses could inform actions to close reentry loopholes for bad actors, improve risk assessment, and enhance decision support via shared data—especially at ports and intermodal hubs.
Global Agreements & Negotiations
China to forgo S&DT in future WTO agreements; DG hails reform momentum
WTO Latest News •September 24, 2025
On 23 September, Premier Li Qiang announced China will no longer seek special and differential treatment in future WTO agreements. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala welcomed the move as a pivotal step toward a more balanced trading system, signaling momentum for WTO reform and likely reshaping negotiating dynamics for large emerging economies.
WTO Farm Talks Aim for Targeted MC14 Food Security Outcomes
WTO Latest News •September 23, 2025
Briefing the agriculture negotiations on 23 September, Chair Ambassador Ali Sarfraz Hussain said wide gaps and current trade turbulence make sweeping outcomes at MC14 in March 2026 unlikely, and he does not plan to table a Chair’s text. Members are converging on narrow deliverables around food security—public stockholding, a Special Safeguard Mechanism, and disciplines on food export restrictions—alongside incremental market access steps, while Cairns and African Groups focus on domestic support. The Chair will facilitate targeted meetings and urged rapid, transparent submissions, pointing to a data‑driven package for vulnerable countries rather than broad reform.
Tariff Rollbacks, RCEP Upgrade, EU-Indonesia FTA Concluded, Kenya Eyes U.S. Deal
STR Trade Report •September 25, 2025
Türkiye canceled select tariffs on U.S. imports—covering autos, agri-food, alcohol, solid fuels, and chemicals—signaling a potential thaw ahead of leader talks. RCEP members are weighing expansion and an upgrade to strengthen resilience against U.S. tariffs, while the EU and Indonesia concluded a CEPA that lowers agri-food duties and supports key industrial sectors like autos, chemicals, and machinery. Kenya is pushing to clinch a U.S. trade deal by year-end as a 10% levy and possible AGOA expiry threaten market access.
Preferences, Market Access & Development
ITC: CBERA Utilization Plunges as Haiti Preferences Near Expiry
STR Trade Report •September 26, 2025
The ITC’s 2023-24 review finds CBERA usage falling sharply: the regional utilization rate dropped to 27.7% in 2024 (from 50.9% in 2022) and preferential imports totaled $1.8 billion, down 34.5% from 2022. Drivers include reduced shipments from Haiti (apparel), Trinidad and Tobago (methanol/other products), and Guyana (crude), compliance challenges, and uncertainty over the future of CBTPA and Haiti’s HOPE/HELP programs. While U.S. impacts remain modest—slight pressure in methanol and T-shirts offset by yarn/fabric exports—the scheduled Sept. 30, 2025 expiration of Haiti’s apparel preferences poses significant risk to Haitian employment and U.S. sourcing plans.
EU injects €5m into EIF Phase Three to boost LDC trade
WTO Latest News •September 19, 2025
The EU pledged EUR 5 million to the Enhanced Integrated Framework, announced on 16 September at the WTO in Geneva, building on nearly USD 25 million of prior EU support. Phase Three runs from October 2025 to December 2031, aligns with the UN Doha Programme of Action, and aims to mobilize at least USD 200 million to catalyze investment, trade capacity, and value chain development in LDCs. The move signals continued donor momentum and near‑term opportunities for LDC-focused trade partnerships and projects.
WTO–FAO deepen collaboration on fisheries, cotton, and SPS/TBT
WTO Latest News •September 19, 2025
At a 19 September review meeting, the WTO and FAO highlighted tangible results from their partnership since MC12, including FAO data support for fisheries subsidies negotiations and joint implementation via the WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism, plus initiatives on nutrition, cotton, and tackling the Jasside pest in West Africa. The organizations committed to intensify coordination in ongoing agricultural talks and in implementing WTO rules—especially SPS and TBT—where FAO participates as an observer. Trade professionals should expect expanded technical assistance and evidence-based inputs shaping fisheries, cotton, and SPS/TBT workstreams linked to food security priorities.
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