President Trump has suspended Thailand’s Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) duty-free entry status on nearly $1.3 billion worth of goods, effective April 25, 2020. The affected products are reflected in 573 HTSUS subheadings and include food and beverages, flowers and bulbs, personal hygiene products, glasses and contact lenses, household appliances, kitchenware, home décor, jewelry, cameras, musical instruments, sporting equipment, construction materials, tools, generators, automotive products, electrical products, motorcycles, boats and vessels for sport or pleasure, and products of iron, copper, and steel. Additionally, due to longstanding worker rights issues in the seafood and shipping industries, GSP eligibility will be revoked for all seafood products from Thailand.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) first announced the revocation of the country’s GSP status on October 25, 2019 based on Thailand’s failure to “adequately provide internationally-recognized worker rights.” The USTR stated that the list of affected products is focused on those for which the U.S. is a relatively important market for Thailand.
A full list of the products excluded from GSP is available by clicking here.
