The process for requesting exemptions from the U.S. tariffs applied to Chinese exports in July and August closes on Dec. 20. As of Dec. 14 11,769 requests had been made by 1,352 companies across 909 product categories. So far only 5.6% of requests have reached the penultimate stage for approval while a further 12.6% have been denied. There’s no fixed timetable for dealing with the remainder with products being reviewed by type. For example water pumps – where imports from China were worth $1.4 billion in the 12 months to Oct. 31 – have mostly been granted exemptions. The process may also...