The Office of Foreign Assets Control on April 20 sanctioned more than 40 people and entities -- including Russian commercial bank Transkapitalbank -- for operating a sanctions evasion network. The agency also issued two new general licenses authorizing certain transactions with the bank and sanctioned a range of companies for operating in Russia’s virtual currency mining industry.
Mexico recently adopted new requirements that will affect certain imported prepackaged juices, coconut water, nectars and nonalcoholic beverages, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported April 19. The imports must meet certain labeling requirements and other “specifications” related to “product denomination, physicochemical specifications and ingredients,” HKTDC said. The changes take effect Aug. 27, but covered goods must comply with the new labeling requirements starting Jan. 1, 2023. Importers “may place labels, stickers or decals on top of the original labels” as long as “all required disclosures are included,” the report said.
The U.K. on April 14 announced a new wave of sectoral sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. The restrictions include a ban on the export of luxury goods to Russia, a prohibition on the import of iron and steel goods that are consigned from or originate in Russia and a ban on the direct or indirect acquisition of iron and steel products from Russia or located in Russia. As part of the luxury goods ban, the restrictions prohibit the supply or delivery of luxury goods from a third country to a place in Russia, the making of luxury goods available to a person connected with Russia and the making of luxury goods available for use in Russia.
The U.S. should redouble efforts to control emerging and foundational technologies, establish a new outbound investment screening regime and create a new multilateral export control forum with close allies, said Emily Kilcrease, an economic statecraft expert with the Center for a New American Security. A new multilateral regime could be challenging to stand up, Kilcrease said, but is “imperative” to prevent proliferation of sensitive technologies to adversaries, including China and Russia.
Vietnam’s new rules of origin under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership took effect this month, allowing Vietnamese exports to RCEP countries to benefit from preferential tariffs, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported April 8. RCEP goods imported into Vietnam will also benefit from low tariffs when they are accompanied with a certificate of origin, HKTDC said, and importers must submit that proof of origin to the country’s customs authority, with some exemptions.
Imports of rice and dried tobacco leaves from Cambodia may enter Vietnam under tariff quotas for 2021 and 2022, the state-run CustomsNews said April 10. The TRQ for rice is 300,000 tonnes per year and the TRQ for dried tobacco leaves is 3,000 tonnes per year. To get the special rate under the quota, traders must have a certificate of origin Form S issued by the Cambodian Ministry of Trade or authorized agency, and they must be cleared at certain border gates, the report said. The TRQ preferential tax rate is good from April 15 through the end of 2022.
India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade added new features to its Scrip Transfer Recording Module following notices that certain fraudulent scrip transfers occurred on the platform. The changes include a time-lag for the transfer of scrip from the original owner to the transferee, a time-lag for scrip transfer from one entity to another, a limit on the number of scrip transfers that can be started for transfer or accepted by each Import Export Code holder per day, and email and text notifications to IEC holders at certain points. Further, the original duty scrip holder is now required to register the duty credit scrip at the Port of Registration with Customs, the DGFT said.
China’s customs agency recently issued an updated version of certain parts of its free trade agreement with New Zealand, according to an unofficial translation of an April 2 notice. The notice includes updated provisions on determining the origin of imported and exported goods, information on tariff classifications and more. The updated provisions took effect April 7.
The Bureau of Industry and Security on April 7 suspended the export privileges of three Russian airlines for violating U.S. export controls against Russia. The agency issued 180-day temporary denial orders for Aeroflot, Azur Air and UTair, barring the airlines from participating in transactions with items subject to the Export Administration Regulations, BIS said.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is extending by 30 days the comment period for an information collection involving the Chemical Weapons Convention Regulations and the CWC’s declaration, report handbook and forms. The collection describes the purpose of the CWC and U.S. reporting obligations. Comments, originally due March 14, are now due May 5 (see 2201110021).