By: Kerem Bilge, Counsel, Thompson Hine LLP Over the past decade, the global trade landscape has shifted sharply toward more complex tariff regimes. During President Donald Trump’s first administration, the U.S. government imposed wide-ranging Section 301 tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars on imported goods from China and Section 232 national security tariffs on U.S. imports of steel and aluminum products worldwide. During President Joe Biden’s administration, most of these tariffs were maintained and further increased on certain Chinese-origin...

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The Trump administration’s new 40% tariff on transshipped goods is causing more trade confusion. And it appears Vietnam is at the epicenter, due to the high amount of Chinese products rerouted through the Southeast Asian country. Since there’s no clear definition of the new regulation, Vietnam’s export growth could wind up as collateral damage. Central to the issue is that many Vietnamese exports rely on Chinese inputs, so it’s hard to distinguish between legitimate goods and transshipments. Rushing enforcement with no...

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Commission President von der Leyen calls for Europe’s “Independence Moment” On Wednesday (10 September), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered the State of the European Union address (SOTEU) in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. In this year’s address, President von der Leyen presented a stark appraisal of a world in transition, declaring that Europe is in a “fight for its future.” Against a backdrop of global instability and geopolitical shifts, Ms. von der Leyen argued that this must be Europe’s “Independence...

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By Ryan Last, Associate, Troutman Pepper Locke On September 5, President Trump signed an executive order introducing new exemptions (and removing other exemptions) to reciprocal tariffs, while also setting out a new framework that aims to promote the conclusion of more definitive trade and security agreements in exchange for additional forms of tariff relief. The executive order, titled “Modifying the Scope of Reciprocal Tariffs and Establishing Procedures for Implementing Trade and Security Agreements” (the Order), builds on previous actions, notably Executive Order 14257 of April...

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What happened?  President Trump issued an Executive Order and Fact Sheet on September 5 modifying the scope of the reciprocal tariffs first announced on April 2, 2025 via Executive Order 14257, and establishing a framework for implementing trade and security agreements with US partners. The Executive Order revises Annex II of Executive Order 14257, which had carved out certain categories of goods from reciprocal tariff coverage. Under the new changes, bullion-related articles, certain critical minerals, and additional pharmaceutical products subject to pending Section 232 investigations...

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