Initiation of Second Four-Year Review Process: China's Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation

The U.S. Trade Representative is commencing the second, statutory four-year review of the two actions taken under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (Trade Act), in the investigation of China's Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation. The two actions were effective, respectively, on July 6, 2018, and August 23, 2018, and subsequently were modified by imposing additional duties on supplemental lists of products, by the temporary removal of duties on certain products through product exclusions, and through the first, statutory four-year review. The first step in the four-year review process is notifying representatives of domestic industries which benefit from the actions of the possible termination of the actions and of the opportunity for these representatives to request continuation of the actions. Requests for continuation must be received in the 60-day window prior to the second four-year anniversary of the respective action: (1) between May 7, 2026, and July 5, 2026, for the July 6, 2018, action; and (2) between June 24, 2026, and August 22, 2026, for the August 23, 2018, action. The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is notifying interested parties of these two time windows for representatives of domestic industries which benefit from the trade actions to request continuation of the corresponding trade actions through the USTR website portal. If the trade actions continue as a result of one or more requests from representatives of domestic industries which benefit from the actions, USTR will proceed with the next phase of the review of the trade actions. The second phase of the review would be announced in one or more subsequent notices and would provide opportunities for public comments from all interested parties.