The domestic textile industry, which employs about a half million people and a million less than 25 years ago, was the focus of U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai's trip this week to factories in the Carolinas. Tai met with textile executives and leaders in the National Council of Textile Organizations trade group, and, according to a summary of the Sept. 23 meeting, she said the administration wants to increase trade between the U.S. and El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. One of the factories was a thread factory -- in the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement, unlike in NAFTA, thread must be from either the U.S. or one of the CAFTA-DR countries.

Mexico recently updated its energy efficiency requirements for residential and commercial water heaters, including their product classification and labeling for import purposes, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Sept. 23. The new requirements, which exclude certain water heaters with certain thermal loads, working pressures, water temperatures and more, take effect March 14, 2022. Water heaters manufactured according to the previous standard “may be commercialized” in Mexico if they were made or imported before the effective date and include a “valid certificate of compliance.”

Argentina and Peru recently made antidumping duty decisions on products from China, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Sept. 24.

Argentina recently updated its import restrictions on elemental mercury and mercury‑added products, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Sept. 24. The country’s new regulations prohibit imports of various mercury-added products, including certain batteries, switches and relays, fluorescent lamps, pesticides, cosmetics and non-electronic measuring devices, HKTDC said. Certain products are exempted from the import prohibition, including “essential products” for military uses and research or instrument calibration.

Argentina recently reestablished its tariff rate quota (see 2011250024) for up to 4,500 units of certain electric, hybrid and hydrogen motor vehicles, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Sept. 23. The TRQ will remain in effect for 18 months, HKTDC said, and all in-quota imports will benefit from either duty-free treatment or reduced duties of 2% or 5%, “depending on the product.” Of the 4,500 units, 4,275 will be allocated to Argentinian producers, and 225 units to other importers, the report said.

Argentina and Canada recently took antidumping and countervailing duty actions on products from China, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Sept. 21. Argentina renewed its antidumping duty order on certain ceramic and porcelain tableware from China, which will continue to be subject to a duty of $3.71/kg. Canada is seeking comments by Oct. 12 on whether it should begin an expiry review of antidumping and countervailing duty orders on certain Chinese “solder joint pressure pipe fittings and solder joint drainage, waste and vent pipe fittings,” HKTDC said.

CBP extended its temporary travel restrictions on the northern and southern borders through Oct. 21, it said in two notices. The travel bans do not apply to cargo, and exempt crossing the border from Canada or Mexico to work in the U.S.

Brazil recently revised its list of aeronautical goods subject to duty-free treatment under a special import program, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Sept. 20. The revisions, which took effect Sept. 1, exempt duties for certain aircraft and other vehicles of the same Harmonized System tariff heading, their parts, ground flight trainers and parts, and certain “goods manufactured in accordance with aeronautical technical specifications and approval standards” as well as their parts.

Argentina recently announced new certification requirements for certain domestically produced and imported ceramic tiles and plates, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Sept. 17. The tiles and plates must disclose certain information on their “body or primary packaging,” regardless of their quality, HKTDC said. The new required information includes the name and unique tax identification code of the domestic producer or importer, the country of origin, the nominal content, the nature of the surface, information on any surface treatment applied after firing, and the manufacturer’s production identification or batch number, HKTDC said. Imported tiles and plates must comply with these and certain other requirements by Jan. 8, although some imports that fail to meet the requirements may be released to the importer as long as the goods enter into compliance within 30 days of their customs clearance date.

Brazil recently announced antidumping duty decisions on certain products from mainland China, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Sept. 2. Brazil ended without judgment its AD duty investigation of certain hosiery and socks from Hong Kong and mainland China, saying the “merit analysis was impaired due to a lack of accuracy and inadequacy in the information provided by the domestic industry.” Brazil also determined that certain pot rests, cup holders, trays and cutting boards fall within the scope of its AD duty on certain Chinese ceramic tableware, except for certain cutlery utensils. The country also renewed for five years an AD duty on certain mainland Chinese polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film (see 2108020010), and further amended that order by revising the AD measure from, in U.S. currency, 65 cents per kilogram to $654.95 per tonne.