As of 6 October 2026, the single most important gap for ocean shippers is between a diplomatic statement and a legal notice. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on 23 September that the US-China "Busan" truce would run to 10 January 2027, but the USTR notice that suspends the Section 301 port fees on China-linked ships still says the suspension ends at 11:59 p.m. Eastern on 9 November 2026, and the most recent USTR documents in the Federal Register (to 5 October) contain no extension. This update covers that gap, the official White House text from the Trump-Xi summit, the new US import bans on some Canadian goods, and the EU customs reform. It sticks to what regulators have published and labels the rest as reporting. For the background, see our earlier posts on the port fee suspension and US tariffs after the IEEPA ruling.
What moved, at a glance (as of 6 October 2026)
| Development | Status | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Section 301 port fees on China-linked ships | Suspension still expires 9 Nov; truce extended to 10 Jan 2027 in a statement only | USTR Federal Register notice; Bessent remarks reported by NBC News and Supply Chain Dive |
| Trump-Xi summit outcomes | Official White House fact sheet exists (25 Sep); it does not mention the truce, Section 301 or port fees | whitehouse.gov |
| US import bans on some Canadian goods | In effect from 29 Sep; USMCA review consultation opened 5 Oct | White House proclamations; Federal Register |
| EU customs reform | Published in the Official Journal 19 Sep; EU-wide handling fee on small parcels due from 1 Nov, amount not yet set | European Commission page; law-firm summaries |
The port fee suspension still ends on 9 November
The Section 301 action against China's maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors imposed fees on Chinese-operated and Chinese-built vessels at US ports. USTR suspended those fees for one year from 10 November 2025 through a Federal Register notice, and press summaries of that notice put the expiry at 11:59 p.m. Eastern on 9 November 2026. That notice is the legal instrument. A statement by a cabinet secretary does not change it.
What has happened since:
- 23 September: after meeting Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, Bessent said the Busan agreement, "scheduled to end on Nov. 10", would be extended to 10 January. NBC News reported that he made the comment in a Fox News Channel interview and that no official document was mentioned. Supply Chain Dive reported that the truce terms include keeping the Section 301 maritime and logistics investigation paused.
- 23 September: a joint letter to USTR Ambassador Jamieson Greer, signed by importer, exporter, farm, port, shipping and customs-broker and forwarder groups (FreightWaves counted more than 200; the signatories include the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America and the World Shipping Council), asked USTR to extend the suspension before it expires. The letter itself states the suspension "is currently scheduled to expire on November 9, 2026."
- 28 and 29 September: FreightWaves and Tech Times reported that, despite the truce statement, no formal USTR notice had extended the fee pause, and that only a new Federal Register notice could do so.
- To 5 October: the Federal Register listing of USTR documents shows no notice extending the maritime suspension. The latest USTR entry is the 5 October USMCA notice discussed below.
What this does and does not mean. It does not mean the fees will resume. Officials may well publish an extension, and the truce statement points that way. It also does not mean they are safe to ignore. Until a notice appears, the written rule is that the fees return on 10 November, and carriers and charterers will price risk against the written rule. We could not find an update on the Chinese side's matching suspension of its own reciprocal port fees, so treat that as unconfirmed. We are not predicting which way this goes. If you have bookings on China-built or China-operated tonnage arriving at US ports after 9 November, ask your carrier or forwarder in writing how they will treat any resumed fee, and whether it appears as a separate surcharge or inside the rate.
A separate date that falls on the same day: law-firm summaries of USTR's earlier extension say the 178 remaining China Section 301 product exclusions (HTS 9903.88.69 and 9903.88.70) are valid through 9 November 2026. That is a different instrument from the port fee notice, and we found no extension of it either. Check the current Federal Register before relying on an exclusion for a November arrival.
The summit text now exists, and it is narrower than the headlines
When we wrote about the port fees, no official text of the Trump-Xi meeting of 24 September was available, so we did not report its outcomes. That has changed in part. The White House published a fact sheet on 25 September titled "President Donald J. Trump Advances a Fair and Reciprocal Relationship with China While Hosting Historic State Visit." On trade it states:
- The two countries "reached consensus on recommendations for more favorable tariff treatment for $30 billion of non-sensitive goods in each direction" under the new Board of Trade. US exports named include agricultural goods, fish and seafood, logs, wood products, cosmetics and medical devices. US imports named include small appliances, toys, holiday decorations and children's car seats.
- China "will import at least 10 million metric tons of coal from the United States in 2027 and again 2028."
- The sides are working on US concerns about supply shortages of rare earths and other critical minerals. No quantities or dates are given.
- A Board of Investment is established as a channel for investment questions.
The fact sheet does not mention the trade truce, the 10 January date, Section 301 or port fees. We also did not find a written Treasury or USTR statement on the extension. So there are now two tiers of evidence: the fact sheet is official, but silent on shipping; the truce date is specific, but rests on the Treasury Secretary's spoken remarks as reported by the press. Recommendations from the Board of Trade are not tariff changes either. A tariff only changes when a Federal Register notice or presidential proclamation says so and CBP issues implementing guidance.
For shippers, the practical reading is modest: there is no new US tariff rate on Chinese goods that you can apply to a landed-cost calculation today from this fact sheet. Keep using the rates in force, and watch for the notices that would carry the $30 billion product lists. Our US tariff guide explains how the stack of duties currently fits together.
Canada: import bans took effect on 29 September, and a USMCA review has started
On 8 September 2026 the White House signed five proclamations under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, following 50 percent duties it began collecting on some Canadian goods on 22 August and Canada's dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs. According to the White House fact sheet and the proclamation text, goods imported on or after 12:01 a.m. Eastern on 29 September are now excluded from entry in certain categories, among them certain Canadian alcoholic beverages and certain dairy products. Law-firm summaries (Troutman Pepper Locke, Dorsey) also list motorcycles above 800 cc, and note that bulk alcohol shipped for US bottling stays under the 50 percent duty rather than the ban. Check the proclamation text and the HTS provisions CBP publishes for your exact product, because descriptions vary between summaries.
Two details matter for cargo planning. First, the fact sheet says the Section 338 duties apply "regardless of whether a good originates under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)" and "in addition to" Section 232 duties, so USMCA origin does not shield these goods. Second, the proclamations modified the duty lists effective 15 September, adding all-terrain vehicles and further dairy products and removing rock salt and cement. Law-firm summaries say goods imported but not yet entered for consumption before 29 September stay subject to the 50 percent duty instead of the ban; the White House fact sheet does not address in-transit goods, so confirm treatment with your customs broker for any shipment that crossed the border around that date.
On 5 October USTR published a Federal Register notice requesting public comments, and announcing a public hearing, on the operation of the USMCA ahead of the 2027 joint review. The deadline for written comments and requests to appear is 11:59 p.m. Eastern on 12 January 2027. This is a consultation, not a rule change. It matters to cross-border forwarders and truckers because the review is where tariff-free treatment of North American freight will be discussed, but nothing in the notice itself alters duties.
EU customs reform is now law, with a handling fee due in November
The European Commission said the customs reform was published in the Official Journal on Saturday 19 September 2026 and is being implemented gradually from the days after. Its summary describes a single EU customs data hub replacing national systems, with the hub opening to e-commerce on 1 July 2028 and the full transition running into the 2030s, plus a new EU Customs Authority based in Lille. That is a multi-year build, and nothing in it changes how an ordinary declaration is filed this month.
The nearer-term piece is the small-parcel regime. The temporary 3 euro customs duty on low-value parcels has applied since 1 July 2026 (see our EU de minimis guide). KPMG and Reed Smith both report that an EU-wide handling fee on small parcels is due from 1 November 2026, with the amount to be fixed by a Commission delegated act. We have not seen that act, so we cannot state the fee. If you carry e-commerce parcels into the EU, ask your customs agent or postal partner how the fee will be passed on and who is the declarant.
Also took effect or opened recently
- Section 232 pharmaceuticals. Law-firm summaries of Proclamation 11020 (2 April 2026) report 100 percent duties on patented pharmaceuticals and ingredients by default, applying from 31 July to companies in the proclamation's Annex III and from 29 September to other companies, with lower or zero rates for companies with onshoring or pricing agreements. Pharmaceutical shippers should confirm the importer's status with their broker; this is company-specific.
- CBP import disclosure. CBP's advance notice of proposed rulemaking on "Heightened Import Disclosures for Supply Chain Visibility" (Federal Register, 2 September; comments due 1 December 2026) asks 64 questions about foreign export documents and manufacturer or shipper identification. It is a request for comments, not a requirement. See our note on importer-of-record number checks for a related compliance step.
What did not move
We looked for new rule changes dated 1 to 6 October and found none in several areas that readers ask about. The White House presidential actions list for 25 September to 6 October contains no new tariff proclamation. We found no new CBAM regulation or deadline in that window; the definitive-period rules are in our CBAM guide. US Section 321 treatment of low-value shipments is unchanged in what we reviewed; the mechanics are in our Section 321 explainer. If any of these changes, the issuing authority's own notice is the place to confirm it.
What to do next
- For any US-bound cargo on China-built or China-operated ships arriving after 9 November, ask your carrier or forwarder in writing how a resumed fee would be billed, and check the Federal Register for a USTR notice before you quote a delivered price.
- Check whether you rely on a Section 301 exclusion (HTS 9903.88.69 or 9903.88.70) for a November entry, and confirm its current end date with your customs broker.
- If you move Canadian alcohol, dairy products or motorcycles into the US, get your broker's reading of the Section 338 proclamations for your exact tariff lines, and do not assume USMCA origin helps.
- If you ship e-commerce parcels to the EU, ask how the 1 November handling fee will be charged once the Commission sets the amount.
If you need help with US entries, ocean bookings or EU parcel clearance, more than 29,300 logistics companies are searchable by country and service in the CargoLinked directory, and the public requests board lists freight that shippers have posted for forwarders to quote on directly.
This article is general information as of 6 October 2026, not legal, tax, financial or customs advice. Trade measures change by notice, often at short warning. Confirm current rules and dates with the issuing authority (USTR, CBP, the White House, the European Commission) or a licensed customs broker or trade lawyer before acting.
