The US initiates investigation against imports of blueberries, of which Mexico is its third supplier

The measure is part of a broader plan by the Trump administration to assess whether it applies tariffs to foreign purchases of various fruits and vegetables, including some of the most successful in Mexico.

The United States initiated an investigation to determine whether it applies a global safeguard against imports of blueberries.

The measure is part of a broader plan by the United States government to assess whether it applies tariffs to foreign purchases of various fruits and vegetables, including some of the most successful in Mexico, such as strawberries and bell peppers.

In 2019, Peru was the first supplier of blueberries to the US market, with shipments of 485 million dollars, followed by Chile (313 million), Mexico (219 million), Canada (116 million) and Argentina (33 million).

The United States imported blueberries worth a total of $ 1,242 million in 2019.

Graciela Marquez, Secretary of the Economy, informed this Thursday, in a press conference, that if the United States were to collect tariffs on imports of Mexican blueberries, Mexico would have the right to apply "compensatory measures of the same nature" under the Agreement between Mexico, United States and Canada (T-MEC).

The USTR will request the International Trade Commission (USITC) to immediately begin a Section 201 investigation for blueberries. This will be the first time in nearly 20 years that the USTR has used such authority.

Section 201 is an important part of the US Administration's business toolbox.

In general, the USTR will request that the USITC investigate whether increased imports of a product are causing or threatening to cause serious injury to domestic producers of the product.

If the USITC determines that this is the case, the President of the United States, Donald Trump It is authorized to take all measures at its disposal in order to facilitate the efforts of the national industry to make a positive adjustment to import competition, including higher tariffs and quantitative limitations.

"Safeguard measures" such as the remedies available under Section 201, are explicitly permitted under the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) when they are necessary to prevent or repair serious injury caused by increased imports.

In 2018, Trump used his authority under Section 201 to increase tariffs on imported washing machines and solar panels.

Two main aspects of Section 201 distinguish this remedy from US antidumping and countervailing duty laws. First, Section 201 does not require an unfair business practice to be determined.

Rather, an increase in imports, regardless of the reason for the imports, is by itself sufficient to justify trade relief, provided that the increase is "a substantial cause of serious injury, or the threat thereof, to the industry." domestic production that produces an article like or directly competes with the imported article.

Second, Section 201 investigations are not limited to evaluating imports from a particular country, but rather analyze and account for imports into the United States from all countries. This is why Section 201 is often called the “global safeguard.”

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