[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 58 (Wednesday, March 25, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16987-16988]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-06285]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

[Docket Number USTR-2020-0014]


Request for Comments on Additional Modifications to the 301 
Action To Address COVID-19: China's Acts, Policies, and Practices 
Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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[[Page 16988]]

SUMMARY: In prior notices, the U.S. Trade Representative has modified 
the action in the Section 301 investigation of China's acts, policies, 
and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, 
and innovation by removing additional duties from medical-care products 
needed to address the COVID-19 outbreak. In light of ongoing 
developments, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is 
requesting public comments on possible further modifications to remove 
duties from additional medical-care products.

DATES: The docket for comments will remain open at least until June 25, 
2020, and may be extended as appropriate. To facilitate timely 
consideration of possible modifications, interested parties should 
submit comments as promptly as possible. To be assured of 
consideration, any responses to comments should be submitted within 
three business days after a comment is posted in the docket.

ADDRESSES: USTR strongly prefers electronic submissions made through 
the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov 
(Regulations.gov). Follow the instructions for submitting requests for 
exclusion and responses to requests in Section C below. The docket 
number is USTR-2020-0014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions about this notice, 
contact Associate General Counsels Philip Butler or Megan Grimball at 
(202) 395-5725.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Background

    At the direction of the President, the U.S. Trade Representative 
has imposed duties on products of China in order to obtain the 
elimination of the unfair and damaging acts, policies, and practices 
identified in this investigation. The duties have been imposed in four 
tranches. See 83 FR 28719 (June 20, 2018), 83 FR 40823 (August 16, 
2018), 83 FR 47974 (September 21, 2018), as modified by 83 FR 49153 
(September 28, 2018), and 84 FR 43304 (August 20, 2019), as modified by 
84 FR 69447 and 85 FR 3741.
    For each tranche, the U.S. Trade Representative established a 
process by which U.S. stakeholders could request exclusion of 
particular products classified within an eight-digit Harmonized Tariff 
Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) subheading covered by the action. 
See 83 FR 32181 (July 11, 2018), 83 FR 47236 (September 18, 2018), 84 
FR 29576 (June 24, 2019), and 84 FR 57144 (October 24, 2019). The 
exclusion processes for tranches 3 and 4 are still in process, and are 
not affected by this notice.
    Throughout the exclusion process, USTR assessed medical necessity 
in granting exclusions, consistent with its published criteria. In 
addition, the U.S. Trade Representative, in consultation with the 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), prioritized the review 
of exclusion requests addressed to medical-care products related to the 
U.S. response to COVID-19, and granted approximately 200 separate 
exclusions on March 5, 2020. See 85 FR 13970 (March 10, 2020), 85 FR 
15015 (March 16, 2020), and 85 FR 15244 (March 17, 2020). The 
exclusions covered personal protective equipment products and other 
medical-care related products.

B. Request for Public Comments

    In order to reflect developments in the efforts to respond to the 
COVID-19 outbreak, USTR is requesting public comments on possible 
further modifications to remove duties from additional medical-care 
products. USTR invites comments from interested persons with respect to 
whether a particular product covered by the action in this 
investigation is needed to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. The docket 
for comments will remain open at least until June 25, 2020, and may be 
extended as appropriate. To facilitate timely consideration of possible 
modifications, interested persons should submit comments as promptly as 
possible. Interested persons may also submit responses to comments. To 
be assured of consideration, any responses to comments should be 
submitted within three business days after a comment is posted in the 
docket. USTR will review comments on a rolling basis.
    Each comment specifically must identify the particular product of 
concern and explain precisely how the product relates to the response 
to the COVID-19 outbreak. For example, the comment may address whether 
a product is directly used to treat COVID-19 or to limit the outbreak, 
and/or whether the product is used in the production of needed medical-
care products.
    Comments may be submitted regarding any product covered by the 
action in the investigation, regardless of whether the product is 
subject to a pending or denied exclusion request.
    In order to facilitate timely consideration of possible 
modifications, commenters should define the product of concern as 
precisely as possible. All comments must include the following 
information, to the extent possible: The ten-digit subheading of the 
HTSUS applicable to the product, and the identity of the particular 
product in terms of its functionality and physical characteristics 
(e.g., dimensions, material composition, or other characteristics). 
Commenters may provide information concerning the producer, importer, 
ultimate consumer, or trademarks or tradenames, but this is less 
helpful.

C. Submission Instructions

    All submissions must be in English and sent electronically via 
Regulations.gov. To submit comments via www.regulations.gov, enter 
docket number USTR-2020-0014 on the home page and click `search.' The 
site will provide a search-results page listing all documents 
associated with this docket. Find a reference to this notice and click 
on the link titled `comment now!' For further information on using the 
www.regulations.gov website, please consult the resources provided on 
the website by clicking on `How to Use Regulations.gov' on the bottom 
of the home page. USTR will not accept hand-delivered submissions.
    The Regulations.gov website allows users to submit comments by 
filling in a `comment' field or by attaching a document using an 
`upload file' field. USTR prefers that you submit comments in an 
attached document. If you attach a document, it is sufficient to type 
`see attached' in the `comment' field. USTR prefers submissions in 
Microsoft Word (.doc) or searchable Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). If you use an 
application other than those two, please indicate the name of the 
application in the `comment' field.
    File names should reflect the name of the person or entity 
submitting the comments. Please do not attach separate cover letters to 
electronic submissions; rather, include any information that might 
appear in a cover letter in the comments themselves. Similarly, to the 
extent possible, please include any exhibits, annexes, or other 
attachments in the same file as the comment itself, rather than 
submitting them as separate files.
    You can view submissions on the Regulations.gov website by entering 
docket number USTR-2020-0014 in the search field on the home page.

Joseph Barloon,
General Counsel, Office of the United States Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2020-06285 Filed 3-23-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3290-F0-P