USITC
USITC Releases The Year in Trade 2024
The U.S. International Trade Commission (Commission or USITC) today released The Year in Trade 2024, its annual overview of developments regarding the administration of U.S. trade laws and trade agreements.
The Year in Trade is one of the government's most comprehensive reports available regarding activities related to U.S. trade policies, agreements, and laws. This report is the 76th in a series of annual reports submitted to the U.S. Congress under section 163(c) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2213(c)) and its predecessor legislation.
The publication provides an overview of actions under U.S. international trade laws, activities of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and select multilateral institutions, and developments regarding U.S. free trade agreements (FTAs) and U.S. bilateral trade relations with major trading partners in 2024. In addition, topics covered in The Year in Trade 2024 include:
- The global trade environment in 2024
- U.S. safeguard, antidumping, countervailing duty, intellectual property rights infringement, national security, and section 301 investigations and actions during 2024
- U.S. trade preference programs, including the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences; African Growth and Opportunity Act; the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, including initiatives for Haiti; and the Nepal Trade Preferences Act
- WTO dispute settlement and other significant activities in the WTO
- Activities under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and trade initiatives under negotiation, including the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity, the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-century Trade, and the U.S.-Kenya Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership
- Implementation and enforcement of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and other U.S. FTAs in force
- Trade patterns and developments in trading relationships with selected major U.S. partners—the European Union, Canada, Mexico, China, and the United Kingdom
The report and accompanying dashboard on the report landing page provide an overview of U.S. trade in merchandise and services during 2024. Statistical tables highlight U.S. bilateral trade with major trading partners and trade under U.S. trade preference programs and FTAs.
The Year in Trade 2024 (USITC Publication 5673, September 2025) is posted on the USITC website.
The homepage of the report has interactive figures and tables of underlying data that show U.S. merchandise and services trade by country and by sector; U.S. imports under different trade preferences programs; information on USITC antidumping, countervailing duty, safeguard, and section 337 investigations; and information on WTO dispute settlement cases involving the United States.
For previous The Year in Trade reports, refer to the Commission’s Investigations Database System (IDS).
USITC Makes Determination in Five-Year (Sunset) Review Concerning Chlorinated Isocyanurates from China
The U.S. International Trade Commission (Commission or USITC) today determined that revoking the existing countervailing duty order on chlorinated isocyanurates from China would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time.
As a result of the Commission’s affirmative determination, the existing order on imports of these products will remain in place.
Chair Amy A. Karpel and Commissioners David S. Johanson and Jason E. Kearns voted in the affirmative.
Today’s action comes under the five-year (sunset) review process required by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act. See the attached page for background on this five-year (sunset) review.
The Commission’s public report on Chlorinated Isocyanurates from China (Inv. No. 701-TA-501 (Second Review), USITC Publication 5677, October 2025) will contain the views of the Commission and information developed during the review.
The report will be available by November 1, 2025; when available, it may be accessed on the USITC website.
BACKGROUND
The Uruguay Round Agreements Act requires the Department of Commerce to revoke an antidumping or countervailing duty order, or terminate a suspension agreement, after five years unless the Department of Commerce and the USITC determine that revoking the order or terminating the suspension agreement would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping or subsidies (Commerce) and of material injury (USITC) within a reasonably foreseeable time.
The Commission’s institution notice in five-year review requests that interested parties file responses with the Commission concerning the likely effects of revoking the order under review as well as other information. Generally, within 95 days from institution the Commission will determine whether the responses it has received reflect an adequate or inadequate level of interest in a full review. If responses to the USITC’s notice of institution are adequate, or if other circumstances warrant a full review, the Commission conducts a full review, which includes a public hearing and issuance of questionnaires.
The Commission generally does not hold a hearing or conduct further investigative activities in expedited reviews. Commissioners base their injury determination in expedited reviews on the facts available, including the Commission’s prior injury and review determinations, responses received to its notice of institution, data collected by staff in connection with the reviews, and information provided by the Department of Commerce.
The five-year (sunset) review concerning Chlorinated Isocyanurates from China was instituted on April 1, 2025.
On July 7, 2025, the Commission determined to conduct an expedited five-year review. Chair Amy A. Karpel and Commissioners David S. Johanson and Jason E. Kearns concluded that the domestic interested party group responses were adequate, and the respondent interested party group responses were inadequate and voted for an expedited review.
A record of the Commission’s vote to conduct an expedited review is available on the investigations page for Chlorinated Isocyanurates from China; Inv. No. 701-TA-501 (Second Review).
Overhead Door Counterbalance Torsion Springs from China Injure U.S. Industry, Says USITC
The United States International Trade Commission (Commission or USITC) today determined that a U.S. industry is materially injured by reason of imports of overhead door counterbalance torsion springs from China that the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) has determined are sold in the United States at less than fair value and are subsidized by the government of China.
The Commission also determined that critical circumstances do not exist with respect to subject imports from China that were subject to Commerce’s affirmative determinations with respect to critical circumstances in its antidumping and countervailing duty determinations.
Chair Amy A. Karpel and Commissioners David S. Johanson and Jason E. Kearns voted in the affirmative.
As a result of the Commission’s affirmative determinations, Commerce will issue an antidumping duty order and a countervailing duty order on imports of this product from China.
The Commission’s public report on Overhead Door Counterbalance Torsion Springs from China (Inv. Nos. 701-TA-746 and 731-TA-1724 (Final), USITC Publication 5675, September 2025) will contain the views of the Commission and information developed during the investigations.
The report will be available by October 28, 2025; when available, it may be accessed on the USITC website.
Status of proceedings, links to relevant documents, and more information about the investigations can be found at the Commission’s Investigations Database System (IDS).
USITC Votes To Continue Investigations on Unwrought Palladium from Russia
The U.S. International Trade Commission (Commission or USITC) today determined there is a reasonable indication that a U.S. industry is materially injured due to imports of unwrought palladium from Russia that are allegedly sold in the United States at less than fair value and subsidized by the government of Russia.
Chair Amy A. Karpel and Commissioners David S. Johanson and Jason E. Kearns voted in the affirmative.
As a result of the Commission’s affirmative determinations, the U.S. Department of Commerce will continue its investigations of imports of unwrought palladium from Russia.
The Commission’s public report, Unwrought Palladium from Russia (Inv. Nos. 701-TA-776 and 731-TA-1761 (Preliminary), USITC Publication 5671, September 2025), will contain the views of the Commission and information developed during the investigations.
The report will be available by October 20, 2025; when available, it may be accessed on the USITC website.
USITC Institutes Section 337 Investigation of Certain Vaporizer Devices, Cartridges Used Therewith, and Components Thereof (II)
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) voted to institute an investigation of certain vaporizer devices, cartridges used therewith, and components thereof. The products at issue in the investigation are described in the Commission’s notice of investigation.
The investigation is based on a complaint filed on behalf of JUUL Labs, Inc. of Washington, D.C., on August 8, 2025. The complaint alleges violations of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 in the importation into the United States and sale of certain vaporizer devices, cartridges used therewith, and components thereof that infringe the patent asserted by the complainant. The complainant requests that the USITC issue a limited exclusion order and cease and desist orders.
The USITC has identified the following respondents in this investigation:
- NJOY, LLC, Scottsdale, Arizona
- NJOY Holdings, Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona
- Altria Group Distribution Company, Richmond, Virginia
- Altria Client Services LLC, Richmond, Virginia
- Altria Group, Inc., Richmond, Virginia
By instituting this investigation (337-TA-1460), the USITC has not yet made any decision on the merits of the case. The USITC’s Chief Administrative Law Judge will assign the case to one of the USITC’s administrative law judges (ALJ), who will schedule and hold an evidentiary hearing. The ALJ will make an initial determination as to whether there is a violation of section 337; that initial determination is subject to review by the Commission.
The USITC will make a final determination in the investigation at the earliest practicable time. Within 45 days after institution of the investigation, the USITC will set a target date for completing the investigation. USITC remedial orders in section 337 cases are effective when issued and become final 60 days after issuance unless disapproved for policy reasons by the U.S. Trade Representative within that 60-day period.
CBERA Has Minor Impact on U.S. Economy, Small but Positive Gains for Beneficiary Nations, Imports Decreased in 2024, Says USITC
The Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA) continues to have a small effect on the overall U.S. economy but provides a positive benefit to participating countries, according to a new report released today, Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act: Impact on U.S. Industries and Consumers and on Beneficiary Countries, Twenty-Seventh Report, 2023–24, published by the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC).
The USITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, today issued its 27th biennial report monitoring U.S. imports under the CBERA program. CBERA took effect on January 1, 1984, and offers preferential tariff treatment to most products of the 17 designated beneficiary countries in the Caribbean.
The publication covers the impact of CBERA, as modified by the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act of 2000 (CBTPA) and the HOPE and HELP Acts, on the United States, with emphasis on 2023 and 2024. CBERA requires the USITC to prepare a report every two years that assesses both the actual and the probable future effect of the CBERA program on the U.S. economy generally and on U.S. imports, industries, and consumers. The report also covers the impact of the preference program on the beneficiary countries.
The following are highlights from the latest report:
- The overall effect of imports under the CBERA program on the U.S. economy generally and on U.S. imports, industries, and consumers continued to be small in 2023–24. For U.S. industries, the overall effect of the program on domestic production, employment, and operating profits was also small. The USITC identified two U.S. industries—methanol and T-shirts—that most likely have faced slight negative effects due to competition from CBERA imports. However, the estimated job losses in these two industries were outweighed by small increases in exports by U.S. yarn and fabric industries, whose products are used in the manufacture of apparel in Haiti.
- U.S. imports receiving preferential treatment under CBERA totaled $1.8 billion in 2024, a notable decline of 34.5 percent from $2.8 billion in 2022.
- The decline in imports under the program from 2022 to 2024 is attributed to reduced imports of textiles and apparel from Haiti; other mining and manufactured products, including methanol, from Trinidad and Tobago; and crude oil from Guyana.
- The CBERA program utilization rate has varied over time and across countries. The CBERA regional utilization rate declined from 50.9 percent in 2022 to 36.9 percent in 2023 and further to 27.7 percent in 2024.
- From 2022 to 2024, the region’s per capita exports of CBERA-eligible goods increased from $297 to $352—representing strong growth in the eligible export base.
- Factors that affected program usage included the ability to meet U.S. import requirements, uncertainty regarding the future of CBTPA and Haiti HOPE/HELP, preference margins, mismatch between productive capacity and program eligibility, and other supply and demand factors affecting export activity.
- From 1990 to 2024, the number of products exported by the CBERA region to the United States increased by 5 percent, led by Aruba, Guyana, Montserrat, and Belize. Depth of diversification varied across countries and declined slightly across the region, reflecting continued heavy concentration in methanol and energy products, as well as textiles and apparel. Between 1990–94 to 2020–24, exports under the CBERA program shifted toward products with higher R&D intensities.
- CBERA, particularly as modified by the HOPE and HELP Acts, has supported Haiti’s export diversification by fostering the growth of its apparel industry through preferential access to the U.S. market.
- Human capital, quality of institutions, cost of compliance, infrastructure, and trade liberalization were among the main factors influencing export diversification in CBERA beneficiaries.
- Investment for the near-term production and export of CBERA-eligible products is expected to have little impact on U.S. competitive industries and on the U.S. economy.
- The future impact of CBERA on the U.S. economy and domestic industries will likely remain small. CBERA countries currently supply only a small fraction of the U.S. market, a trend anticipated to continue in the near term.
- The HOPE and HELP programs are scheduled to expire on September 30, 2025. While expiration will likely have a small effect on the U.S. economy, witness testimony and economic modeling both anticipate substantial negative effects on the Haitian economy.
Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act: Impact on U.S. Industries and Consumers and on Beneficiary Countries, Twenty-Seventh Report, 2023–24 (Inv. No. 332-606, USITC Publication 5662, September 2025) is available on the USITC website. The USITC is also providing a limited modeling release underlying the analyses associated with this report on its website.
About factfinding investigations: USITC general factfinding investigations, such as this one, cover matters related to tariffs, trade, and competitiveness and are generally conducted under section 332(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930 at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the House Committee on Ways and Means, or the Senate Committee on Finance. The resulting reports convey the USITC’s objective findings and independent analyses on the subjects investigated. The USITC makes no recommendations on policy or other matters in its general factfinding reports. Upon completion of each investigation, the USITC submits its findings and analyses to the requester. General factfinding investigation reports are subsequently released to the public unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons.
USITC Votes To Continue Investigations on Freight Rail Couplers and Parts Thereof From Czech Republic and India
The U.S. International Trade Commission (Commission or USITC) today determined there is a reasonable indication that a U.S. industry is threatened with material injury by reason of imports of freight rail couplers and parts thereof from the Czech Republic and India that are allegedly sold in the United States at less than fair value and subsidized by the government of India.
Chair Amy A. Karpel and Commissioners David S. Johanson and Jason E. Kearns voted in the affirmative.
As a result of the Commission’s affirmative determinations, the U.S. Department of Commerce will continue its investigations of imports of freight rail couplers and parts thereof from Czech Republic and India.
The Commission’s public report, Freight Rail Couplers and Parts Thereof from Czech Republic and India (Inv. Nos. 701-TA-775 and 731-TA-1759-1760 (Preliminary), USITC Publication 5670, September 2025), will contain the views of the Commission and information developed during the investigations.
The report will be available by October 13, 2025; when available, it may be accessed on the USITC website.
Sol Gel Alumina-Based Ceramic Abrasive Grains from China Injure U.S. Industry, Says USITC
The U.S. International Trade Commission (Commission or USITC) today determined that a U.S. industry is materially injured by reason of sol gel alumina-based ceramic abrasive grains from China that the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) has determined are sold in the United States at less than fair value and subsidized by the government of China.
Chair Amy Karpel and Commissioners David S. Johanson and Jason E. Kearns voted in the affirmative.[1]
As a result of the Commission’s affirmative determinations, Commerce will issue an antidumping duty order and a countervailing duty order on imports of this product from China.
The Commission’s public report, Sol Gel Alumina-Based Ceramic Abrasive Grains from China (Inv. Nos. 701-TA-750 and 731-TA-1728 (Final), USITC Publication 5669, September 2025), will contain the views of the Commission and information developed during the investigations.
The report will be available by October 17, 2025; when available, it may be accessed on the USITC website.
Status of proceedings, links to relevant documents, and additional information for these investigations can be found at the Commission’s Investigations Database System (IDS).
[1] Commissioner Johanson determined that a U.S. industry is threatened with material injury by reason of sol gel alumina-based ceramic abrasive grains from China.
Paper File Folders from Sri Lanka Injure U.S. Industry, Says USITC
The U.S. International Trade (Commission or USITC) today determined that a U.S. industry is materially injured by reason of imports of paper file folders from Sri Lanka that the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) has determined are sold in the United States at less than fair value.
Chair Amy A. Karpel and Commissioners David S. Johanson and Jason E. Kearns voted in the affirmative.
As a result of the Commission’s affirmative determination, Commerce will issue an antidumping duty order on imports of these products from Sri Lanka.
The Commission’s public report on Paper File Folders from Sri Lanka (Inv. No. 731-TA-1719 (Final), USITC Publication 5668, September 2025) will contain the views of the Commission and information developed during the investigation.
The report will be available by October 16, 2025; when available, it may be accessed on the USITC website.
Status of proceedings, links to relevant documents, and more information about this investigation can be found at the Commission’s Investigations Database System (IDS).
USITC Makes Determinations in Five-Year (Sunset) Reviews Concerning Hot-Rolled Steel Products from China, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, And Ukraine
The U.S. International Trade Commission (Commission or USITC) today determined that revoking the existing antidumping duty orders on hot-rolled steel products from China, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Ukraine and the existing countervailing duty orders on these products from India, Indonesia, and Thailand would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time.
As a result of the Commission’s affirmative determinations, the existing orders on imports of these products will remain in place.
Chair Amy A. Karpel and Commissioners David S. Johanson and Jason E. Kearns voted in the affirmative.
Today’s action comes under the five-year (sunset) review process required by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act. See the attached page for background on these five-year (sunset) reviews.
The Commission’s public report on Hot-Rolled Steel Products from China, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Ukraine (Inv. Nos. 701-TA-405-406 and 408 and 731-TA-899-901 and 906-908 (Fourth Review), USITC Publication 5667, September 2025) will contain the views of the Commission and information developed during the reviews.
The report will be available by October 3, 2025; when available, it may be accessed on the USITC website.
BACKGROUND
The Uruguay Round Agreements Act requires the Department of Commerce to revoke an antidumping or countervailing duty order, or terminate a suspension agreement, after five years unless the Department of Commerce and the USITC determine that revoking the order or terminating the suspension agreement would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping or subsidies (Commerce) and of material injury (USITC) within a reasonably foreseeable time.
The Commission’s institution notice in a five-year review request that interested parties file responses with the Commission concerning the likely effects of revoking the order under review as well as other information. Generally, within 95 days from institution the Commission will determine whether the responses it has received reflect an adequate or inadequate level of interest in a full review. If responses to the USITC’s notice of institution are adequate, or if other circumstances warrant a full review, the Commission conducts a full review, which includes a public hearing and issuance of questionnaires.
The Commission generally does not hold a hearing or conduct further investigative activities in expedited reviews. Commissioners base their injury determination in expedited reviews on the facts available, including the Commission’s prior injury and review determinations, responses received to its notice of institution, data collected by staff in connection with the reviews, and information provided by the Department of Commerce.
The five-year (sunset) reviews concerning Hot-Rolled Steel Products from China, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Ukraine were instituted on July 1, 2024.
On October 4, 2025, the Commission determined to conduct full five-year reviews. Chair Amy A. Karpel and Commissioners David S. Johanson and Jason E. Kearns concluded that the domestic interested party group responses were adequate, and the respondent interested party group responses were inadequate and voted for full reviews. Commissioner Rhonda K. Schmidtlein concluded that the domestic interested party group responses were adequate, and the respondent interested party group responses were inadequate and voted for expedited reviews.
A record of the Commission’s vote to conduct full reviews is available on the investigations page for Hot-Rolled Steel Products from China, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Ukraine; Inv. Nos. 701-TA-405-406 and 408 and 731-TA-899-901 and 906-908 (Fourth Review).