The Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking comments on the impact of the Chemical Weapons Convention on “commercial activities” during 2019, BIS said in a notice. BIS said it is soliciting comments to help it prepare for its annual certification to Congress about whether “legitimate commercial activities” of chemical, biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms are banned by the CWC. Comments are due March 16.

The State Department approved a potential $1.867 billion military sale to India involving an air defense weapon system, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Feb. 10. The sale includes five radar systems and more than 200 missiles. The prime contractors are Raytheon and Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace.

The Department of Energy is seeking comments on a proposal to extend the 20-year term for authorizations of natural gas exports to countries with which the U.S. does not have a free trade agreement, the agency said in a notice. The proposal would cover exports of domestically produced liquefied natural gas, compressed natural gas and compressed gas liquid, and allow for exports to countries with which the U.S. does not have an agreement “requiring national treatment for trade in natural gas,” the Energy Department said. Under the proposal, existing non-FTA “authorization holders” could apply to extend their export terms through Dec. 21, 2050, on a “voluntary opt-in basis,” and the agency would issue future non-FTA export authorizations with a “standard export term” lasting through 2050, unless the applicant requests a shorter term. Comments are due by 4:30 p.m. EDT March 12.

U.S. exporters participating in the Food and Beverage Trade Show 2020 in Singapore, March 31 to April 3, can reserve exhibit space under the U.S. pavilion endorsed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the USDA said in a Feb. 6 email. The pavilion will provide exporters with “greater visibility” on the trade show floor and a “turnkey booth package.” Reservations can be made by contacting the pavilion organizer at maiken@oakoverseas.com or (704) 837-1980, ext. 303.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is recruiting U.S. exporters to join the agency on an April trade mission to the Philippines, the USDA said in a Feb. 6 email. The mission, which will visit Manila April 20-22, will give exporters opportunities to meet with trade delegates and local companies looking to import U.S. agricultural goods, USDA said. Applicants should apply to the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service by Feb. 13.

The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls will host a Defense Export Control and Compliance System webinar to cover the process for enrolling an organization’s current DTrade Super Users as DECCS Corporate Administrators, the DDTC said Feb. 7. The webinar, which will be held Feb. 13 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., will also cover how to invite “team members to join a company” and how to set up “License Groups,” DDTC said. The notice provides log-in information for the webinar. The registration and licensing applications for DECCS will launch Feb. 18 (see 2002040060).

The Commerce Department is accepting nominations for its Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness, Commerce said. The agency is particularly encouraging nominations of representatives from the trucking, air transport, energy, logistics, supply chain financing, warehousing, terminal operators, retailers, and supply chain compliance sectors, it said. Applications will be accepted until Feb. 28. Commerce is seeking members for the current term, which ends in November 2021.

U.S. and Ukraine recently held discussions on “strategic trade control issues,” including best practices to restrict trade of dual-use goods and technology related to weapons proliferation, the State Department said Feb. 5. Both sides committed to “nonproliferation goals” and agreed to cooperate on trade controls, the agency said. Ukraine said it is reforming its trade controls to align them with “international best practices.” The discussions, held in Kyiv earlier this week, included officials from the State, Energy, Commerce, Justice and Defense departments, along with top Ukrainian trade officials.

The U.S. and Kenya amended the U.S.-Kenya Air Transport Agreement to expand the commercial partnership between the two countries and create “new opportunities” for all-cargo airlines and exporters, the State Department said Feb. 5. The amendment will allow U.S. all-cargo airlines to fly between Kenya and a third nation without needing to stop in the U.S., and will give Kenya all-cargo carriers “reciprocal rights to serve” the U.S., the agency said. The changes will “fully open the Kenyan air cargo services market to U.S. carriers,” the State Department said.

Hong Kong lifted its ban on imports of romaine lettuce from Salinas, California, effective Jan. 24, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report released Feb. 3. Hong Kong agreed to lift the ban once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention affirmed that there was no longer a risk of E. coli from an outbreak in 2019. Hong Kong initially announced the ban in November (see 1911290001).