NEWS

Decorative Hardwoods Association (formerly HPVA) eNews Volume XII, Issue XXIII: Congress Introduces Law To Fight Trade Cheating | U.S. Department of Commerce Confirms Chinese Circumvention On Hardwood Plywood | Trump Trade Policy Analyzed In Trade Talks Podcast | Vietnam's Wood Products Sector Grows

BSR/HPVA EF 20XX is being considered for approval and the publication of this notice begins the second public comment period for HPVA and ANSI, closing on January 20, 2020. The proposal may be obtained for review and comment by emailing standards@decorativehardwoods.org.

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced its affirmative final antidumping and countervailing duty circumvention rulings involving exports of hardwood plywood from China, finding that hardwood and decorative plywood with face or back veneers of radiata or agathis pine circumvent existing orders. U.S. Customs and Border Protection will continue to collect the antidumping and countervailing duties on Chinese hardwood plywood.

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The Play by the Rules Act will crack down on unfair trade practices and outright cheating by nonmarket economies like China. U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) are co-sponsors. Dr. Cassidy stated, "The United States can outcompete any country in the world if the rules are applied to both countries.

Senior U.S. Customs officials have confirmed that Vietnam Customs has a "watch list" of Chinese products that are likely being circumvented through Vietnam and that plywood is on this list. Negotiations of a U.S.-Vietnam mutual assistance agreement are ongoing.

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