美国贸易代表办公室USTR是对中国加征关税的急先锋。加征中国产品关税的措施，显然对当前美国应对新冠疫情危机产生了重大影响。为此，USTR发布公告，表示加征关税没有影响美国抗疫大局。但是，将考虑进一步扩大排除中国产品加征关税的范围。
发表于美国东部时间2020年3月20日USTR官网上的公告要点：
一、邀请公众提出建议，还可以排除哪些中国产品有助于应对疫情危机。
二、美国301条款行动对中国加征关税的措施，已经考虑了保护美国人民的健康。并且还将继续以此为出发点实施其他行动。
三、USTR已经排除了许多与健康相关的产品。同时，请大家注意，加征关阁并没有导致国内所需要的医疗设备和用品供应量下降。相反，自2017年开始加征301关税以来，相关产品进口量增加了20%以上。
四、危机爆发之前，USTR已经有效行动，排除了很多关键医疗类产品。
五、看起来排除得还不够。请各方继续提出排除建议。建议限于那些对应对新冠疫情有关的产品。
公告原文如下：
03/20/2020
Invites Public Comments to Identify Additional Products Potentially Helpful to U.S. Response
Washington, DC – Throughout the process of administering its Section 301 action to combat China’s acts, policies and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation, the United States has prioritized health considerations, and it is taking additional action for that objective today.
In imposing tariffs on goods from China as part of the Section 301 action, the United States determined to not impose tariffs on certain critical products such as ventilators, oxygen masks, and nubilators. In addition, over the past year, USTR granted exclusions for a large number of health-related products. Notably, the imposition of tariffs on certain Chinese imports has not resulted in an overall decline in the availability of needed medical equipment and supplies. In fact, U.S. imports in 2019 of all critical medical and pharmaceutical products were up over 20 percent since 2017, before Section 301 tariffs were imposed.
Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, USTR and the Department of Health and Human Services worked together to ensure that critical medicines and other essential medical products were not subject to additional Section 301 tariffs, including parts needed for MRI devices, combined PET/CT scanners, certain radiation therapy equipment, air purification equipment, and parts of homecare beds; sterile electrosurgical tools; digital clinical thermometers; and more.
Today, in an effort to keep current on developments in our national fight against the coronavirus pandemic, USTR has opened a docket for members of the public, businesses, and government agencies to submit comments if they believe further modifications to the 301 tariffs may be necessary. This comment process does not replace the current exclusion process and supplements that process. Submissions are limited to comments on products subject to the tariff actions and relevant to the medical response to the coronavirus.
Interested parties wishing to provide comments can do so here.
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