Apple’s request for its popular watches to be excluded from tariffs on Chinese imports was approved by the U.S. Trade Representative.

Here is the response of the U.S. Trade Representative to Apple:

I am pleased to notify you that the United States Trade Representative has determined to grant the above-referenced exclusion request submitted pursuant to the notice published at 84 FR 57144. The exclusion determination will be set out in a formal notice that will be submitted to Office of the Federal Register for publication. A pre-publication version of the exclusion notice will be posted on the USTR website https://ustr.gov/issue-areas/enforcement/section-301-investigations/section-301-china/300-billion-trade-action.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection will issue additional instructions on entry guidance and implementation.

Joseph Barloon General Counsel

"This product is a consumer electronic device. It is not strategically important or related to "Made in China 2025" or other Chinese industrial programs," according to the the USTR.

President Donald Trump imposed a 15% tariff on a list of goods in September that included the Apple watch. He cut in half those tariffs as part of an initial trade deal with Beijing that went into effect Feb. 15.

Apple said its its exclusion request it had not identified a source outside of China that is able to meet U.S. demand for this product in the coming year.