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Thursday, September 3, 2026
NEWS ABCTHE ABC OF ECONOMY & INDUSTRY
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NEWS ABCTHE ABC OF ECONOMY & INDUSTRY
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Trade

Trade examines the rules that govern goods crossing borders: tariff schedules and exclusions, rules of origin, customs classification, export licensing and controls, and the agreements behind them. Explainers work each change through to landed cost on a named product. Useful for sourcing managers, trade counsel and manufacturers with international suppliers.

Tariff schedules, rules of origin, export licensing and trade agreements traced through to the landed cost of specific components and finished goods.

Trade

Who actually pays a tariff

The importer of record pays the duty to Customs at the border; who ultimately bears the cost depends on contracts, supply chains, and how much prices can move.

Priya Vaithilingam
Stacked customs paperwork and a calculator on brushed steel
Trade

Two agencies decide every US dumping case

Commerce sets the margin, the International Trade Commission sets the injury finding, and the statutory clock between them decides when importers start paying.

Priya Vaithilingam
Two agencies decide every US dumping case
Trade

USMCA talks enter a third round

US and Mexican negotiators opened a third round of bilateral discussions in July 2026, with rules of origin as the prize and auto supply chains as the stakes.

Priya Vaithilingam
Negotiators reviewing documents at a long table during a trade round
Trade

Port fees quietly reroute the fleets

Fees on Chinese-built vessels touch every carrier calling at US ports, and the cost shows up in freight rates and fleet orders.

Priya Vaithilingam
Container ship working cranes at a large port terminal in morning light
Trade

New Section 301 duties land at 10 and 12.5

Additional tariffs of 10% and 12.5% took effect in 2026 under the unfair-trade statute — a slower, sturdier vehicle than the invalidated emergency path.

Priya Vaithilingam
Chart comparing 10 and 12.5 percent duty tiers by product category