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.
The State Department approved potential military sales to Denmark, Hungary, Japan, Lithuania and South Korea, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Aug. 27.
If the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is passed, its impact will be felt almost immediately, Vice President Mike Pence said, speaking to reporters in South Carolina on Aug. 27.
The National Pork Producers Council applauded the U.S. and Japan trade agreement, saying it would place U.S. pork exporters “back on a level playing field” with competitors in one of the U.S.’s “most important export markets.” “We look forward to rapid implementation of the agreement as international competitors are currently taking U.S. pork market share through more favorable access,” NPPC President David Herring said in an Aug. 25 statement. The council, citing a study, said U.S. exports to Japan will grow from $1.6 billion in 2018 to more than $2.2 billion “over the next 15 years” as a result of the trade deal. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the agreement at the G-7 summit in France (see 1908260033).
The State Department issued three technical corrections to the Cuba Restricted List, in a notice.
The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls rescheduled its In-House Seminar from Sept. 18 to Oct. 9 due to scheduling conflicts, the DDTC said in an Aug. 22 notice. DDTC is extending registration for an additional week, but remains "first-come, first-served." Questions should be directed to DDTCInHouseSeminars@state.gov.
The State Department approved the potential sale of $8 billion worth of defense-related goods to Taiwan, the Defense Department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in an Aug. 20 press release. The sale to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office includes 66 F-16C/D Block 70 aircraft, engines, radars, computers, “multipurpose launchers” and other military products. The sale serves U.S. national interests by supporting Taiwan’s military to help it “maintain a credible defensive capability,” the press release said.
The Senate will likely confirm Tom Feddo as a top official for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., a “positive and timely development” for companies involved in foreign investment compliance, according to an Aug. 19 post from Arent Fox. Feddo is expected to be named the first assistant secretary of the Treasury for investment security. The position was created in 2018 to increase the authority of CFIUS when it enacted the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act, the post said.