In the July 29 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
China will impose antidumping duties on certain stainless steel products imported from the European Union, Japan, South Korea and Indonesia, the country’s Ministry of Commerce announced in a July 23 press release. China said it is being “substantially damaged” by dumped imports of “stainless steel billet and hot-rolled stainless steel plate/coil” originating in the EU and the three other countries, and will impose antidumping duties ranging from 18.1 percent to 103.1 percent on these products. The duty rates will be in effect for five years, starting July 23, China said. The ruling stems from an investigation China began on July 23, 2018, the ministry said.
China’s Ministry of Commerce is conducting an antidumping investigation on imports of “N-propanol” originating in the U.S., the ministry said in a July 24 press release. The ministry said its investigation will include “n-Propylalcohol, 1-Propanol, 1-Propyl alcohol, Propan-1-ol, Ethylcarbinol or 1-Hydroxypropane.” China said it expects to complete its investigation before July 23, 2020.
In the July 25 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
Bangladesh’s Export Promotion Bureau is expected to soon launch an online registration system that will require companies that export to the European Union, Switzerland or Norway to “self-issue” certificates of origin for their goods, according to a July 25 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. Companies will have until June 30, 2020, to register with the bureau and obtain an EU Registered Exporter number, which will allow them to self-issue certificates of origin for a 12-month period, the report said. Companies will need to register annually to “maintain their [Generalized System of Preferences] entitlement,” the report said.
At a press conference attended by dozens of pro-USMCA trade groups, U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Thomas Donohue said his group is optimistic that the trade pact will get a vote in September. Donohue held his fingers an inch apart and said, "Lighthizer and Nancy Pelosi are this close," he said, referring to negotiations on changes to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement between U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and the Speaker of the House. Donohue said the Chamber is "very, very willing to move forward" with small fixes, which he characterized as "ornaments on the tree."
In the July 13-24 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
The U.S. imposed sanctions on a Chinese oil company and its CEO for buying crude oil from Iran, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said July 22. The announcement sanctioned Zhuhai Zhenrong Company Limited and CEO Youmin Li, Pompeo said.The sanctions were originally announced by the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control on July 22, but the agency did not immediately release detailed information about the sanctions (see 1907220049). Pompeo said the sanctions are part of the U.S.’s “maximum pressure campaign” on Iran.
Japanese and European Union officials in late June clarified certain provisions of the EU-Japan economic partnership agreement for a “smoother and more efficient implementation” of the agreement, according to a July 19 notice from KPMG and a July 17 notification from Japan Customs. The agreement was intended to simplify the import declaration provision of the agreement “by which preferential tariff treatment is claimed in Japan,” KPMG said. Among the changes are provisions that say importers are not required to provide an “additional explanation … concerning the originating status of the product if not available to the importer” and that the “absence of an explanation, in addition to the statement on origin, will not lead to a rejection of the claim or a denial of the preferential tariff treatment” under the agreement. KPMG said the changes “could help address some of the administrative burden and associated trade barriers” between the two countries.
India Customs is updating regulations for filing sea cargo manifests for imports, exports and transshipments, requiring traders and shippers to adhere to new “defined timelines,” according to an alert by C.H. Robinson. The changes will take effect Aug. 1.