As the National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) reports, according to reports from the Agricultural Specialist at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing as well as the Chinese Ministry of Finance, the Chinese government will remove U.S. hardwood lumber import tariffs starting on February 28, 2020, for one year.
Extracts from a statement by China’s State Council Tariff Commission reveal the list of products that could have tariffs removed starting Friday, next week. The list of products can be viewed HERE while the announcement (in Chinese) can be viewed HERE
According to NHLA, the Chinese State Council Tariff Commission statement contains goods where tariffs will no longer be levied, and importers which are eligible for refunds.
In the announcement, several US hardwood product HS codes on this list, such as oak lumber and logs, cherry and ash lumber, and “other” hardwood lumber and logs. Oak lumber and logs are marked with “ex” for “excluded”.
It seems Chinese companies will be able to “apply for refunds of collected duties within six months from Feb 21.” View the English statement from the Ministry of Finance here.
According to NHLA, there is still confusion about this program and implementation, and the situation should still be considered fluid and could suffer potential changes.