The Dominican Republic introduced a new method of calculating customs value when imports of goods are made under a distribution agreement or “between related companies,” according to a Feb. 28 KPMG post. The country’s customs authority will first evaluate information contained in the single customs declaration along with a tax return relating to payments made abroad, the post said. The import will be assessed by Dominican Customs “specifically to include the value of royalties with the cost, insurance, and freight of the merchandise.” The imported merchandise will then be revalued and taxes and customs tariffs are resettled, KPMG said.

The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of Feb. 28 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):

At least three Mexican ports are requiring 48 hours' notice before ships arrive from China, in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus through crew members, according to a Feb. 27 report from Mexico Today. The “detection protocol” is being carried out at the Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas and Ensenada ports along the Pacific coast, which all have “direct trade links” to China, the report said. The Manzanillo port is Mexico's largest port by volume, the report said, moving more than 3 million containers per year. Manufacturers in northwestern Mexico have reported interruptions in production lines for a variety of goods -- including in the electric, auto, aerospace and medical equipment industries -- due to Chinese supply chain delays, the report said.

China and Canada must resolve ongoing disputes that have hurt exports of canola since China blocked Canadian imports of the product nearly a year ago (see 1903060058), the Canola Council of Canada said in a Feb. 27 news release. “The canola sector is being targeted by China over a dispute with Canada,” said Jim Everson, president of the CCC. “Farmers and the industry they’re part of cannot continue to shoulder the impact of something entirely out of their control.” Canola seed exports to China were down about 70% in 2019 due to trade disruption, the trade group said.

Canada is holding consultations on the possible modernization of the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement, Canada said in a notice. “A modernization of the CUFTA provides an opportunity to increase the Agreement’s benefits for Canadians by further diversifying and expanding Canada’s preferential access to Ukraine, and advancing an inclusive approach to trade in order that the benefits of trade are widely shared,” it said. “A modernization of the CUFTA would also help reinforce the rules-based international system and promote the development of global value chains, strengthening Canada’s connectivity to the region.” Comments are due by March 16, it said.

A Canadian government analysis of NAFTA's replacement -- known as the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement in that country -- estimates that it will increase Canadian GDP by just under 0.25% over five years. The estimate is based on comparing CUSMA to a withdrawal from NAFTA, not from the present trade deal.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will add the organic import requirements for seeds and grains from chapter 07 in the Automated Import Reference System in March, the CFIA said in a Feb. 21 email. “This update covers dried leguminous vegetables,” it said. The agency is phasing in the requirements (see 1905290046).

Brokers and importers should not use the Single Window Initiative (SWI), Integrated Import Declaration (IID), Service Option 911 for goods “imported via the postal stream,” the Canada Border Services Agency said in a notice. “The SWI IID is a cargo centric model, which means the associated cargo data must be on file with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) electronically in order for a SWI IID transaction to obtain release,” it said. Imported postal goods don't have any associated cargo data, the agency said.

The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of Feb. 21 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):

The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of Feb. 19 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):