The European Commission terminated a review of an extension on antidumping and countervailing duties on imports of biodiesel consigned from Canada, it announced in a Sept. 3 implementing regulation. Verbio Diesel Canada Corp. on July 2 asked to withdraw its own request for review. Verbio will no longer register its imports and imports of its subject products will be assessed the country-wide antidumping duty rate for all-other companies, retroactive from the date of initiation of the review investigation, the EC said.

The European Commission in a Sept. 3 notice announced the impending expiration of antidumping duty measures on tungsten carbide, fused tungsten carbide and tungsten carbide simply mixed with metallic powder from China, unless a review of the duties is initiated. European Union manufacturers can submit a written request for a review up to three months before the duty's June 3, 2022, expiration date.

The United Kingdom's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation added an individual and an entity to its Myanmar sanctions list for perpetuating human rights violations in the country, including the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya Muslim minority population, it said in a Sept. 2 notice. OFSI added arms dealer Tay Za and the Htoo Group of Companies that he owns to the sanctions regime, subjecting them to an asset freeze and travel ban.

Pork exporters in the United Kingdom can now ship their goods to Mexico, opening up a more than $69 million market, the U.K.'s Department for International Trade said Sept. 2. As part of the decision-making process, Mexican National Department for Health, Safety and Agricultural and Food Quality inspected facilities in the U.K., DIT said Sept. 2. Inspections were led by the U.K. Export Certification Partnership and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and hosted by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, DIT said. A decision to approve four processing facilities and four associated cold stores in England and Wales capped four years of negotiations and inspections, DIT said

The European Commission reimposed an antidumping duty on threaded, molded pipe fittings, malleable and spheroidal graphite cast iron from China manufactured by Jinan Meide Castings Co., Ltd., in a Sept. 2 regulation, according to an unofficial translation. The duty was imposed following a decision from the General Court of the European Union.

The European Commission imposed a definitive antidumping duty on imports of certain pre- and post-stressing wires and wire strands of non-alloy steel (PSC wires and strands) from China following an expiry review, the commission said in a Sept. 2 regulation. The imports will be assessed a 46.2% duty, excluding those from Kiswire Qingdao, which has a zero percent margin, and from Ossen Innovation Materials Co. Joint Stock Co. and Ossen Jiujiang Steel Wire Cable Co., which both have a 31.1% rate. The European Stress Information Service, representing more than a quarter of the EU domestic industry of PSC, requested the review as the duties were set to expire. Specifically, the duties cover “not plated or not coated wire of non-alloy steel, wire of non-alloy steel plated or coated with zinc and stranded wire of non-alloy steel whether or not plated or coated with not more than 18 wires, containing by weight 0,6 % or more of carbon, with a maximum cross-sectional dimension exceeding 3 mm.”

Companies that relocated production to Vietnam following President Donald Trump's imposition of China tariffs now find themselves fighting local restrictions due to recent COVID-19 outbreaks in Southeast Asia, Bloomberg reported Sept. 1. In particular, the southern provinces of Binh Duong and Dong Nai further extended stay-at-home orders and curfews in their localities for another 15 days staring Sept. 1, the report said. In response, an effort has been made by the Vietnamese government to vaccinate workers at factories, including Samsung's in the north and Intel's in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnamese manufacturers are seeking to ramp up the vaccination push ahead of the year-end holiday surge, Bloomberg said. Per data from IHS Markit and JPMorgan included in the report, many of Vietnam's export wins following the start of the pandemic have taken a dip, with the purchasing managers index for the country falling below 50, indicating a contraction in market conditions for manufacturers.

The United Kingdom's International Trade Secretary Liz Truss appointed two new trade commissioners Sept. 1 to attract new investment and explore export opportunities throughout Europe and Central Asia, the Department for International Trade said. Chris Barton, former acting director general of trade negotiations at DIT, was appointed trade commissioner for Europe. Kenan Poleo, the current deputy trade commissioner for Europe, was tapped to be the commissioner for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Network. In their new positions, the pair will “lead on a coordinated government effort overseas to promote UK trade, delivering jobs and prosperity for the UK economy,” DIT said.

The United Kingdom's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation published guidance in an Aug. 31 LinkedIn post to anyone engaging in financial activity in Afghanistan, given that some members of the Taliban in positions of authority are under United Nations sanctions. The agency recommended conducting enhanced due diligence especially with entities controlled by designated individuals, checking the consolidated sanctions list, and considering bringing on independent legal counsel before engaging in any activity. The post also addressed charities operating in the region, referring them to OFSI's charity sector guidance and the Charity Commission's Compliance Toolkit.

The European Commission recently approved seven genetically engineered crops and renewed authorizations for others for import, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service reported Aug. 30. The EC approved one cotton, one rapeseed, two soybean and three corn crops and renewed one rapeseed crop and two corn crops used for food and animal feed. The authorizations will remain valid for 10 years from the Aug. 26 notice published in the European Union Official Journal, USDA said. The products will be subject to the EU’s “strict labelling and traceability rules,” the report said.