• U.S. softwood exporters may soon sell to China duty-free for the first time since August 2018. The Chinese government began accepting applications from importers on March 2 to avoid the 20-25% tariffs imposed on US shipping in the last 20 months.

The Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council of China announced that it plans to accept applications on February 18. Many U.S. softwood lumber exporters say their Chinese buyers have applied for tax exemptions after the online registration portal was opened. US log importers are also expected to apply. The applicant submits the request through the website of the Ministry of Finance of China. It is unclear how long the application process will take or what timeline will be decided.