U.S. Section 301 China tariffs: continuation-request deadline (22 Aug) and expiry date (23 Aug)
Why it matters
The 2018 Section 301 tariff wall on China is the single biggest piece of trade diversion shaping European markets. If no domestic-industry continuation request lands by 22 August, the 23 August 2018 action terminates by operation of statute on 23 August 2026 — Chinese goods currently priced out of the U.S. would compete on new terms, in and around the EU. If requests do land, the tariffs stay in force while USTR runs the review, and Europe keeps absorbing the diverted volume.
What to watch
- No announcement is expected on 22 August itself: it is the closing date of the continuation-request window, not a decision date. The observable step is USTR confirming whether requests were filed.
- Whether the 23 August 2018 action terminates on 23 August 2026 or continues pending review — the binary that decides everything downstream.
- Which sectors petitioned: EV, battery, solar and semiconductor petitions signal where U.S. protection stays hardest and where diversion into the EU persists.
- USTR scheduling a public hearing or comment docket — none is on the calendar yet, and the date it appears sets the next decision window.
- Chinese countermeasures and any EU trade-defence response to redirected volumes.
Sources
- Federal Register: Initiation of Second Four-Year Review Process (6 May 2026)
- USTR Section 301 four-year review
- USTR Section 301 investigations
Open in the calendar
Open this event in the live GeoVeu calendar, alongside everything scheduled around it.