De Minimis, CNL Waivers Granted Under GSP

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative released the results of its 2019 Generalized System of Preferences product review. Changes, which take effect Nov. 1, include new GSP eligibility for orchids from Thailand and certain types of plywood from Indonesia. USTR denied petitions to remove polyethylene terephthalate from Pakistan from GSP eligibility, as well as a competitive needs limitation (CNL) waiver for stearic acid from Indonesia, which will now be ineligible for GSP. USTR also said that subheading 8702.10.21, for motor vehicles with diesel engine, to transport 16 or more persons, from North Macedonia will also be ineligible for GSP after exceeding CNL import limits.

New GSP eligibility. Products newly designated as eligible for GSP are as follows:

• 0603.13.00, fresh cut orchids from Thailand
• 4412.10.05, plywood, veneered panels and similar laminated wood, of bamboo, from Indonesia
• 4412.31.4155, plywood sheets n/o 6mm thick, with specified tropical wood outer ply, with face ply nesoi, not surface covered beyond clear/transparent from Indonesia.

CNL waivers granted. USTR granted a CNL waiver for the following product, which means it will remain GSP-eligible despite exceeding import limits under the program:

• 9001.50.00 Spectacle lenses of materials other than glass, unmounted, from Thailand.

De minimis waivers. USTR also granted 27 de minimis waivers, which are for cases in which a single country exceeds import limits, but overall imports of the product from all countries fall below a specified limit, as follows:

• 0304.91.90, chilled or frozen swordfish fillets, nesoi, from Thailand
• 0406.10.04, chongos, unripened or uncured cheese, including whey cheese and curd, from Ecuador
• 0708.90.05, chickpeas from Argentina
• 0711.59.90, truffles, provisionally preserved but unsuitable in that state for immediate consumption, from Thailand
• 0908.22.20, ground mace, Bombay or wild, from Indonesia
• 1202.30.40, raw peanuts from Paraguay
• 1701.91.42, cane/beet sugar and purse sucrose, refined, solid, with added flavoring, of 65% by weight sugar, from Brazil
• 1702.90.52, sugar syrups, artificial honey, caramel nesoi, from Indonesia
• 1703.10.30, cane molasses from Brazil
• 1806.90.01, cocoa preps, not in blocks/slabs/bars, from Thailand
• 1901.20.02, mixes for bakers wares, of 25% butterfat, not retail, from Brazil
• 2009.89.65, cherry juice from Brazil
• 2202.99.37, fruit or vegetable juices, fortified with vitamins or minerals, from the Philippines
• 2489.10.10, calcium carbide, from Brazil
• 3824.99.31, mixtures of bismuth, from Brazil
• 4010.35.30, endless synchronous transmission belt of vulcanized rubber, circumference 60-150 cm, combined with textile material, with vegetable fiber more than other fibers, from Argentina
• 4101.20.40, whole bovine hides/skins (not buffalo) not over 8 kg dried, 10 kg dried salted or 16 kg fresh, not over 2.6 meters squared, vegetable pretanned from Pakistan
• 4101.50.40, whole raw bovine hides and skins (not buffalo), weight over 16 kg, surface area over 2.6 meters squared, vegetable pretanned from Pakistan
• 4103.20.20 raw hides and skins of reptiles, vegetable pretanned, from Thailand
• 4106.21.90, hides and skins of goats or kids, without hair on, tanned but not further prepared, in the wet state other than wet blue, from Pakistan
• 4106.22.00, hides and skins of goats or kids, without hair on, tanned but not further prepared, in the dry state, from Pakistan
• 4206.00.13, articles of catgut if imported for the use of manufacture of sterile surgical sutures, from Brazil
• 4602.12.23, articles of a kind normally carried in the pocket or in the handbag, of rattan, from Indonesia
• 7113.20.29, base metal clad with gold necklaces and neck chains, nesoi, from Jordan
• 9032.90.21, parts and accessories of automatic voltage and voltage-current regulators designed for use in a 6, 12 or 24 V system, nesoi, form Thailand
• 9303.30.40., rifles, other than muzzle-loading, valued over $25, but not over $50, from Serbia
• 9603.10.90, brooms and brushes of twigs or vegetable materials (other than broom corn), bound together, with or without handles, from Sri Lanka.

USTR concurrently announced changes to country eligibility for GSP in this review, including the removal of products from Thailand from GSP and the redesignation of Ukraine as a GSP beneficiary (see 1910280044).