India alloted an extra 303 metric tons of raw sugar for export to the United States under its tariff rate quota for fiscal year 2021, India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade said Nov. 23. The move brings the total sugar allotment up to 8,727 metric tons under the TRQ. If a certificate of origin is needed for any would-be exporter, the Additional Director General of Foreign Trade in Mumbai will issue the certificate. FY21 ends Dec. 31, the DGFT said.
The Bureau of Industry and Security added 27 entities to the Entity List for illegally selling technology to China, North Korea and other sanctioned countries, for supporting China’s military modernization efforts or for contributing to Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programs, the agency said Nov. 24. The Entity List additions include a range of laboratories and companies operating in the semiconductor, microelectronics and machinery sectors in China, Japan, Pakistan and Singapore, including several major Chinese chip companies.
The Tien Giang provincial government in Vietnam fined Xin Dong Ya Vietnam Handicraft for importing goods with fake Vietnamese origin and falsely declaring nontaxable imports, the state-run CustomsNews reported. The company was fined over $4,400 for importing nearly 200,000 bags falsely labeled as being of Vietnamese origin and over $200 for the false declarations of nontaxable imports. The Long An Customs Department seized the bags after an inspection of a container found "suspicious" differences between the actual goods in the shipment and the company's declaration.
The European Commission this week proposed new rules that would restrict imports to “deforestation-free” goods in a bid to combat global deforestation, global warming and biodiversity loss. The rules would set “mandatory” due diligence requirements and add to the compliance responsibilities for importers of goods associated with deforestation, such as soy, beef, palm oil, wood, cocoa, coffee and leather.
Chambers of commerce in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. collectively are asking each country's leaders to hold each other accountable to fully implement USMCA. In a joint letter Nov. 16, they said, "The Canadian and Mexican private sectors share apprehension over differing interpretations of USMCA’s rules of origin and how the U.S. interpretation of these provisions poses risks to our integrated supply chains." They also said that the Canadian and U.S. private sectors are deeply concerned about Mexico's actions restricting investment in its energy sector. "Attempts to favor state-owned enterprises at the expense of renewable and other private energy providers only undermine investment certainty, put at risk ambitious shared goals to address climate change, and promise both added cost and diminished opportunity for our countries’ workers," they wrote, and said they hope government will engage the private sector in meaningful dialogue in both arenas. They also said in future emergencies like the pandemic, "there should also be greater cooperation on border management to ensure the flow of commercial traffic and cargo."
The United Kingdom’s new foreign investment screening law may draw more industry filings than first expected, Baker McKenzie lawyer Sunny Mann said. Although the U.K.’s new National Security and Investment Act doesn’t officially take effect until Jan. 4, Mann said many companies are already showing signs they plan to be careful and notify the U.K. before closing investment deals, rather than waiting for the government to intervene.
India's Directorate-General of Foreign Trade in a Nov. 15 public notice released its standard operating procedure for the random checking of imported metal scrap consignments with respect to radioactive contamination. Under the 14 steps, containers without a certificate issued by a Pre-Shipment Inspection Agency may not be unloaded and should be sent back to the country of origin.
India extended the transition period for the electronic mandatory filing of Non-Preferential Certificates of Origin through the Common Digital Platform to Jan. 31, 2022, India's Directorate-General of Foreign Trade said. Parties may continue submitting their applications in manual or paper mode will until that date, the DGFT said.
The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach postponed until next week consideration of a new surcharge meant to incentivize the movement of dwelling containers, the two California ports announced Nov. 15. The ports originally said they would begin imposing the fee Nov. 15 (see 2111030027) but pushed the start date to Nov. 22 because of the “significant improvement in clearing import containers from our docks in recent weeks,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said.
A new dwelling fee on containers at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports should not be passed on to importers, said Noel Hacegaba, chief operating officer of the Port of Long Beach. Hacegaba was speaking to the U.S. Fashion Industry Association virtual conference, during a Nov. 10 panel on the supply chain.