The State Department approved a potential $6.5 billion sale of military goods to Poland, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a Sept. 11 press release. The sale includes 32 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft along with engines, “electronic warfare systems,” communications equipment, navigation and identification equipment, weapons capabilities and more. The DSCA said the sale will help the national security of the U.S. by aiding a North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally. The contractors will be Texas-based Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company and Connecticut-based Pratt & Whitney Military Engines.
The Congressional Research Service released a report Sept. 10 on trade and economic relations between the U.S. and China, including the current issues hindering trade. The report covers U.S. issues with Chinese industrial policies, intellectual property rights and concerns over exports of sensitive technology.
The Government Accountability Office found that the State and Defense departments’ processes for reviewing proposed arms transfers are appropriate and aligned with conventional arms transfer policies, the GAO said in a Sept. 9 report. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., requested the GAO review the administration's arms transfer policies. Menendez is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
The Export-Import Bank of the United States is seeking comments on “guidelines for determining Additionality on requests the Bank receives to support export transactions with repayment amortizing over the medium or long term,” according to a notice. Comments are due Oct. 9.
A top U.S. Department of Agriculture official said he was “elated” to hear about the upcoming October meeting between top-level U.S. and China officials, but warned that a trade deal may still be far away. “I hope this is a very serious attempt to get going and to get back to the table and really bring this to fruition,” said Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney, speaking during a Sept. 5 conference call with reporters.
Various promotional items imported by Bic Graphic that are labeled in the U.S. before export to NAFTA countries are considered as in the "same condition” for purposes of the NAFTA limitation on drawback, CBP said in an Aug. 12 ruling. CBP said in HQ H292472 the multiple labeling methods involved don't result in a change in condition and also may still be considered "unused." Mallory Alexander International Logistics requested the ruling on behalf of Bic Graphic.
The State Department is seeking feedback to inform its development of a draft guidance for exports of hardware, software and technology with “surveillance capabilities,” the agency said in a Sept. 4 press release. The guidance will give exporters insight “on considerations to weigh prior to exporting these items” and will give “businesses greater understanding of the human rights concerns the U.S. government may have with the export,” the press release said. Comments are due Oct. 4.
The Federal Maritime Commission would like to update the processes for revoking or denying ocean transportation intermediary (OTI) licenses, the agency said in a notice. While the FMC previously updated the processes in 2015, "the revised process, however, has proved to be imprecise in certain respects and has not led to the reduction in time and expense that was anticipated," it said. The agency's proposal would include a new hearing procedure that is "based on the procedure for formal small Shipping Act claims," it said. "The new hearing procedure would be overseen by an administrative law judge and would represent the type of expedient, low-burden process sought in the previous rulemaking while fulfilling the need for more detailed procedural requirements." Comments on the proposal are due Oct. 3.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is soliciting comments at regulations.gov, docket number USTR-2019-0012, on tariff and non-tariff barriers in 61 countries, the European Union and the countries of the Arab League (some of which are included in the list that follows). The topics stakeholders can comment on are wide-ranging -- from tariffs, customs practices, and sanitary and phytosanitary measures not based on science, to subsidies, intellectual property enforcement, data localization, discriminatory licensing or regulatory actions and investment restrictions. They also asked about Buy America-equivalent policies in other markets. The countries under review for the annual trade barriers report are: Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine and Vietnam. Comments are due by midnight Oct. 31.
The International Chamber of Commerce is expected to revise its incoterms to “clearly and accurately reflect current trade practices” when it releases its new set of the international commercial terms in September, according to an Aug. 29 post from Export Solutions.