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Rh Proclamation 8771 of December 29, 2011

To Modify the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States and for Other Purposes

By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation

1. Section 1205(a) of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 (the "1988 Act") (19 U.S.C. 3005(a)) directs the United States International Trade Commission (the "Commission") to keep the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) under continuous review and periodically to recommend to the President such modifications to the HTS as the Commission considers necessary or appropriate to accomplish the purposes set forth in that subsection. The Commission has recommended modifications to the HTS pursuant to sections 1205(c) and (d) of the 1988 Act (19 U.S.C. 3005(c) and (d)) to conform the HTS to amendments made to the International Convention on the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (the "Convention").

2. Section 1206(a) of the 1988 Act (19 U.S.C. 3006(a)) authorizes the President to proclaim modifications to the HTS based on the recommendations of the Commission under section 1205 of the 1988 Act, if he determines that the modifications are in conformity with United States obligations under the Convention and do not run counter to the national economic interest of the United States. I have determined that the modifications to the HTS proclaimed in this proclamation pursuant to section 1206(a) of the 1988 Act are in conformity with United States obligations under the Convention and do not run counter to the national economic interest of the United States.

3. Presidential Proclamation 6763 of December 23, 1994, implemented with respect to the United States, the trade agreements resulting from the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations, including Schedule XX-United States of America, annexed to the Marrakesh Protocol to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (Schedule XX), that were entered into pursuant to sections 1102(a) and (e) of the 1988 Act (19 U.S.C. 2902(a) and (e)), and approved in section 101(a) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA) (19 U.S.C. 3511(a)).

4. Pursuant to the authority provided in section 111 of the URAA (19 U.S.C. 3521) and sections 1102(a) and (e) of the 1988 Act, Proclamation 6763 included the staged reductions in rates of duty that the President determined to be necessary or appropriate to carry out the terms of Schedule XX. In order to ensure the continuation of such rates of duty for imported goods under tariff categories that are being modified to reflect the amendments to the Convention, I have determined that additional modifications to the HTS are necessary or appropriate to carry out the duty reductions previously proclaimed, including certain technical or conforming changes within the tariff schedule.

5. Presidential Proclamation 7747 of December 30, 2003, implemented the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (USSFTA) with respect to the United States and, pursuant to section 201 of the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (the "USSFTA Act") (19 207