The United Kingdom's Department for International Trade released a Nov. 4 policy paper on the country’s approach to continuing trade with Georgia after Brexit. The paper provides an overview of the agreement and explains “significant differences” between the deal and the current agreement between the European Union and Georgia. The paper also includes information on tariff rates, customs procedures, rules of origin, technical barriers to trade and more.
Vietnam’s Quang Ninh province is considering a proposal to suspend “temporary imports for re-exports” of certain foreign cigarettes and liquor, VietnamCustoms said in a Nov. 4 report from Customs News, the agency’s mouthpiece. The measure would impact imports of “non-Vietnamese origin” cigarettes and foreign whiskey, the report said, and was introduced to combat smuggling schemes and attempts to “illegally access the domestic market.” The proposal would also “suspend the operation of bonded warehouses” for foreign cigarettes and whiskey, Vietnam said. The proposal was recently approved by the country’s defense and finance ministries and is being considered by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the report said.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control amended and issued Venezuela-related general licenses and revoked two Turkey general licenses, according to a Nov. 5 notice. OFAC also published new and amended frequently asked questions to explain the Venezuela-related licenses.
The Commerce Department’s advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) on foundational technologies will ask for public comments on the relationship between foundational and emerging technologies, a concept that is challenging Commerce, according to Commerce’s deputy assistant secretary for export administration Matt Borman. The proposal, which is expected to be released this fall, is proving more challenging than the proposed ANPRM on emerging technologies the agency released last year, Borman said. The foundational notice will ask industries whether emerging and foundational technologies are really “two distinct things,” Borman said, or whether one depends on the other, such as whether foundational technologies are used to create emerging technologies.
China and New Zealand agreed to upgrade their free trade deal to improve customs facilitation, remove trade barriers and revise rules of origin procedures, China’s Ministry of Commerce said Nov. 4. China said both countries will “benefit from improved rules,” adding that the deal also includes measures on e-commerce, competition policy and increased market access for certain goods. “These results reflect the desire of both countries to ensure that the China-New Zealand FTA remains ambitious, modern and high quality … and demonstrates the commitment of both countries to free and open trade and a rules-based multilateral trading system,” China said.
As the U.S. and China look to soon sign phase one of their trade agreement, the two sides are planning another trade call for Nov. 1, China’s Ministry of Commerce said Oct. 31, according to an unofficial translation. The scheduled call comes days after Chile announced it was canceling APEC, the trade summit where President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping expected to sign the deal’s first phase (see 1910300037).
The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of Oct. 30 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):
The Commerce Department plans to release proposed export controls on emerging technologies within the “next few weeks” and an advance notice of proposed rulemaking on foundational technologies before the end of the year, a top Commerce official said. Matt Borman, the Commerce deputy assistant secretary for export administration, suggested Commerce has been eager to release both controls to ease concerns from U.S. trade groups and companies, which have warned the agency against overly broad, unilateral controls.
President Donald Trump said the U.S. is “ahead of schedule” in signing the first phase of a U.S.-China trade deal.
China recently combined its foreign trade operator and place of origin certificates, shifting customs responsibilities among government agencies, according to an Oct. 25 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The country’s commerce regulators will now be responsible for “record-maintenance, data collection and all relevant notifications,” while customs officers “will receive and input any required records” relating to the certificates, the report said.