Some exporters are still facing penalties for minor errors made in Automated Export System filings despite efforts by CBP and the Census Bureau to rein in those fines. Omari Wooden, Census’ assistant division chief for trade outreach and regulations, said those penalties, often referred to as “parking ticket violations,” have been an “ongoing issue” with CBP.
India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade in an Oct. 4 notice clarified that a Sept. 28 notice banning the export of broken rice under Harmonized System code 10064000 does not apply to "Rice (5% and 25%)." The DGFT said that the normal rice had already been exempted and is not broken rice since it has permissible limits of broken rice. However, the exempted rice -- Rice (5% and 25%) -- will be subject to a 20% duty, per the original notice (see 2209090017), the DGFT said.
The White House should hold off on issuing a “unilateral” executive order on outbound investment screening (see 2209290043 and 2209140041) and should instead work with Congress to address sensitive investment flows to China, said Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, the top Republican on the House Financial Services Committee. In an Oct. 3 letter to National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, McHenry said he is “concerned that the Administration may choose to resort to unilateral measures,” including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, rather than “work with Congress to address the threat posed by China.”
The U.S. last week announced a host of new sanctions and export controls against Russia, targeting Russian defense and technology companies, Russian government officials and various suppliers for supporting the country's military. The measures include hundreds of new designations and 57 additions to the Entity List, most of which will be subject to certain foreign direct product rule restrictions.
The U.S. imposed new sanctions against Russia Sept. 30 and announced it will add 57 entities to the Entity List for supporting Russia's military amid its war in Ukraine. The sanctions target members of Russia’s military-industrial complex, including various technology and defense firms, two of Russia's international suppliers and members of Russia’s legislature, the Treasury Department said. The Entity List additions, which BIS said will take effect Sept. 30, target parties that have sought to supply Russia’s military with controlled U.S. items or are involved in the country’s quantum computing industry, the Bureau of Industry and Security said in an emailed news release. Fifty of the 57 newly added entities will be subject to BIS’ Russia/Belarus Military End User Foreign Direct Product Rule, which will limit their ability to acquire certain foreign-produced goods made by or with U.S.-origin items.
African Growth and Opportunity Act benefits for Kenya need to continue as any trade partnership is formed, commenters said, especially the third-country fabric rule of origin.
The State Department is monitoring whether the U.S. delivery of certain F-35 aircraft -- which were revealed this month to contain certain Chinese components -- violated export controls, senior agency official Mike Miller said. He said the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is “certainly tracking” the case but declined to say whether the agency will issue any penalties. “As to what compliance actions we may be taking with the company,” Miller said, “I can’t speak to that in specific.”
The Bureau of Industry and Security updated its restricted aircraft list with another Iranian-owned and -operated plane after it violated U.S. export controls, the agency said this week. BIS said the U.S.-origin cargo plane -- owned by Saha Airlines, which is operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force -- provided cargo flight services to Russia.
Brazil and Canada recently announced antidumping and countervailing duty actions on products from mainland China, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Sept. 23.
The House this week passed the Russia Cryptocurrency Transparency Act with several sanctions provisions, including one to require the State and Treasury departments to assess how digital currencies are affecting the “effectiveness and enforcement” of U.S. sanctions against Russia. The agencies would also be required to submit to Congress recommendations for “new legislative and regulatory measures” to strengthen the U.S.’s ability to stop digital currencies being used for sanctions evasion.