Sports and Fitness Trade Group Organizing Petition Drive to Defeat List 4 Tariffs

The Trump administration remains “on track to hit the industry” with 25 percent Section 301 tariffs on $300 billion in Chinese goods not previously dutied because trade talks with China “have deteriorated” in the past two weeks, emailed the Sports & Fitness Industry Association to members Wednesday. “Both sides have retreated to their corners and dug in, with no clear pathway for resolution in the immediate future,” it said. The next possible breakthrough in the talks could come at the G20 summit June 28-29 in Osaka, Japan, where Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, are scheduled to meet, said SFIA. The summit is “two weeks after the List 4 tariffs go into effect,” the association said inaccurately. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative hasn’t set a List 4 effective date, and the timing of the comments and hearings makes it unlikely the administration would be in a position to impose the duties until after Trump returns from Japan. An SFIA spokesperson later clarified that what the group meant to say was that the G20 comes two weeks after the June 10 deadline for submitting requests to appear at the June 17 hearing on the List 4 tariffs. SFIA is organizing a petition drive for members to urge the removal of apparel, footwear, smartwatches and fitness trackers from List 4.