China recently cleared more destinations for self-service printing of certificates of origin, according to a May 18 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The changes add self-service printing certificates for exports to Indonesia, Singapore and India under certain trade agreements. The changes took effect May 11.
China will impose a 6.9% duty on imports of Australian barley after finalizing an antidumping and countervailing duty investigation, China said in a May 18 notice, according to an unofficial translation. China said its domestic industry “suffered substantial damage” due to dumping of imported barley originating in Australia. The move was expected by Australian grain groups (see 2005110010).
Top U.S. and United Kingdom officials will begin a second round of virtual trade negotiations June 15 as both sides continue to push for a quickly completed deal, the U.K. said May 18. The first round of talks, which ended last week, included discussions on customs procedures, rules of origin, trade remedies and small to medium-sized businesses. The U.K.’s Department for International Trade said both sides vowed to “quickly pursue” a stand-alone “Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Chapter.” Negotiators from both sides will continue meeting virtually on a “rolling basis” until the second round begins, the U.K. added. “Both sides are hopeful that negotiations for a comprehensive trade agreement can proceed at an accelerated pace,” the DIT said. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative did not comment.
Many details needed for the uniform regulations and the final implementing instructions for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement remain under discussion, agency officials said on May 14. Many specifics have not been agreed to, either between Mexico, Canada and the U.S., between the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the auto industry, or between CBP and USTR. “There's still even discussions with USTR and the [auto] industry on what constitutes a core part,” Maya Kumar, director for textiles and trade agreements, told members of the trade community on a conference call.
The Commerce Department amended its direct product rule, increasing restrictions on foreign-made chips exported to, and made by, Huawei and its affiliates, the agency said in a May 15 interim final rule. Commerce also said it does not expect to issue another temporary general license extension for the Chinese technology company after its latest 90-day renewal expires Aug. 13.
Luxembourg ended its relief for late submissions of value-added tax returns, according to a May 13 post from KPMG. The measure, originally issued to help industry cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, was ended May 12, KPMG said. All pending VAT returns not yet submitted “need to be filed as soon as possible to avoid potential penalties,” the post said. A number of countries have introduced VAT relief measures to help companies mitigate impacts of the pandemic (see 2005050018, 2004240005, 2004030023, 2004030016 and 2004030022).
Hungary recently announced aid for its agriculture sector to mitigate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including measures to incentivize purchases of domestic goods over imports, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report released May 11. Hungary is asking retail chains and domestic suppliers to “favor Hungarian products over imports” and will review its “import conditions” for certain agricultural goods, the USDA said. “A temporary adjustment of the quantity of imports originating from third countries could help to achieve a state of balance on the internal market and the creation of equal competitive conditions for internal production,” Hungary’s agriculture minister said, according to the USDA.
The Treasury Department, the State Department and the Coast Guard issued a May 14 guidance on illegal shipping and sanctions evasion practices by Iran, North Korea and Syria. The guidance aims to help traders in the maritime industry -- including the energy and metal sectors -- avoid doing business with customers trying to avoid U.S. sanctions. The 35-page guidance updates previous shipping advisories, including a guidance on illegal North Korean ship-to-ship transfers (see 1903210052).
Hong Kong’s Trade and Industry Department issued a May 12 notice to traders about the U.S. Commerce Department’s upcoming elimination of license exceptions for civil end-users (see 2004270026), which will affect exports, reexports and transfers of U.S.-origin goods from Hong Kong. Hong Kong informed industry that exports usually allowed under the license exception will now require a U.S. authorization, adding that it will specifically impact shipments of electronics, computers and telecommunications products. Although the U.S. exemption will be eliminated, Hong Kong will make “no change” to its “import and export licensing control on strategic commodities,” the country said. Traders exporting or importing U.S. goods no longer covered by the exemption “are advised to liaise and check with their U.S. exporters/manufacturers, particularly to obtain the necessary and applicable US export authorisation,” the notice said.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is disinclined to offer an informed compliance period for most importers, “because most of the rules of origin have remained essentially the same” as what was in NAFTA, so CBP can honor the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement claims with the same information that backed NAFTA claims, according to Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner of CBP’s Office of Trade.