Canada's proposal to alter its customs valuation policy to value imports according to the price of their "last sale" or "sale for export" not only would be bad for business, it "could also be illegal," lawyers at Sandler Travis said in a June client alert. The firm said the proposal is contrary to Canadian court precedent and the World Trade Organization's Customs Valuation Code that identifies the sale for export as the one in which "title is passed to the importer of the goods."
Argentina recently created a new trade unit to monitor purchases and sales of “goods and services in internal and external trade,” promote “commercial operations fairly,” trace traded goods and guide consumers, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported June 20. HKTDC said it isn’t “entirely clear whether any additional trade restrictions will be adopted” under the new unit, adding that Argentina is looking to better analyze trade data “and adopt any measures that may be warranted within the scope of [the participating government entities'] respective authorities.”
The U.S. and Mexico have been consulting about U.S. complaints about favoritism to Mexican energy providers for 11 months, with no public movement toward a dispute settlement panel, and Karen Antebi, a former NAFTA negotiator, said she doesn't expect that to change in the next year.
Canada's agriculture and trade ministers say that Canada will join U.S. dispute consultations on Mexican biotech policies as a third party. They made the announcement June 9.
Argentina, Brazil and Canada recently announced antidumping and countervailing duty actions and decisions on certain products from mainland China, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported June 8.
The Canada Border Services Agency floated amendments to its valuation for duty regulations which would effectively shift its customs valuation approach to a "last sale one," potentially increasing the declared value for duty of imported goods, lawyers at Baker McKenzie said in a blog post. Canada's customs valuation regulations set the value of goods as the price paid in the sale for export of the goods to a buyer in Canada.
Mexico recently revised its list of imports subject to duty-free treatment, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported June 2. The imports now include certain frozen fish and a range of other items and exclude certain wheat and meslin. The measures will apply through the end of this year, and certain items may continue to benefit from duty-free treatment through April 2024.
Argentina and Brazil recently announced antidumping duty actions and decisions on certain products from mainland China, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported June 2. Argentina began an AD investigation on certain Chinese slide fasteners and strips and suspended through Sept. 28 its current AD measures on certain Chinese sodium benzoate. Brazil began an AD anti-circumvention inquiry on certain automotive safety glass and also is considering a request to apply its currently suspended AD measure on certain polyester textured yarn “not put up for retail sale." Brazil also recently rejected separate administrative challenges to its current AD measures on certain Chinese footwear and disposable syringes.
Mexico, Canada and the U.S. will hold a USMCA Labor Council virtual public session on implementation of the treaty's labor chapter on June 29. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is inviting comments ahead of the meeting, and asking for registration to participate in the two-and-a-half-hour virtual meeting that begins at 1 p.m. EDT. Registration details will be available on the USTR and Department of Labor websites starting June 1. Comments should be sent to ILAB-Outreach@DOL.gov and MBX.USTR.USMCAhotline@ustr.eop.gov with the subject line USMCA Labor Council Meeting.
The U.S. and Mexican governments have reportedly made progress toward better aligning their Authorized Economic Operation programs, according to a "mid-year review" fact sheet on the U.S.-Mexico High-Level Economic Dialogue, released April 19. In the last six months, CBP provided training for the Mexican AEO team and in February, the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism and AEO Mexico representatives worked together to modify the Minimum-Security Criteria requirements for Mexico’s AEO program, which Mexico anticipates will be published in April after its legal review and approval by the Mexican Secretariat for Home Affairs, the fact sheet said.