U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said that the trade facilitation agreement that the U.S. and Brazil signed Oct. 19 is very similar to the USMCA trade facilitation chapter, and that traders should expect more incremental progress in coming months. “There’s a lot more that needs to be done,” Lighthizer said during a U.S. Chamber of Commerce program Oct. 20. “We have ongoing negotiations on ethanol. Brazilians like to talk about sugar. There’s a variety of things in the agriculture area.”
The Canada government issued the following trade-related notices as of Oct. 19 (some may also be given separate headlines):
The Bureau of Industry and Security is allowing exporters to request a six-month extension for their export licenses, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, BIS said in an Oct. 17 notice. Licenses are eligible for the extension if they expire on or before Dec. 31, BIS said, adding that extensions will be granted in “most cases.” Exporters can apply for the extension by emailing LicenseExtensionRequest@bis.doc.gov and can expect to hear back from BIS within two to three business days.
Even though companies that make cars in North America are going to have to change sourcing to meet stricter rules of origin under USMCA, the director of international public policy for Toyota and the head of Canada's auto parts trade group say they expect carmakers to do so to keep the tariff benefits. Toyota's Leila Afas noted that automakers don't have to comply with trade agreements to import, but said, “I believe many will choose to comply with USMCA.” Afas and others discussed USMCA issues during an Oct. 14 webinar hosted by Rice University.
The Canada government issued the following trade-related notices as of Oct. 14 (some may also be given separate headlines):
China and Colombia signed their free trade agreement about three months after concluding negotiations (see 2007200012), an Oct. 12 Chinese news release said, according to an unofficial translation. The agreement contains provisions on rules of origin, customs procedures, technical trade barriers and phytosanitary measures, China said. The deal will also eliminate tariffs on most Chinese and Cambodian products and establishes an “electronic network” to digitally transmit certificates of origin to speed up customs clearances.
The United Kingdom completed its second round of trade negotiations with Australia (see 2006170014) and plans to hold the third round in November, the U.K. said Oct. 12. The U.K. called the talks “productive” and said both countries have committed to “removing trade barriers and creating new opportunities for business.” Negotiators discussed a range of trade issues, including rules of origin, the role of state-owned companies, intellectual property, trade remedies and technical barriers to trade.
The Canada government issued the following trade-related notices as of Oct. 9 (some may also be given separate headlines):
There is a desire for more “uniformity” for country of origin and marking under USMCA, similar to the rules in Part 102 of NAFTA, said Heidi Bray, manager-U.S. and global customs compliance for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Bray and other Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee members mentioned a variety of USMCA “challenges” during the Oct. 7 COAC meeting. She said she thinks it would be a good idea to bring back a USMCA working group to discuss those issues.
The Canada government issued the following trade-related notices as of Oct. 7 (some may also be given separate headlines):