Sri Lanka recently updated its wheat import regulations to require additional declarations for U.S.-origin wheat, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service reported Aug. 26. USDA said the new requirements “effectively disallow” imports of U.S. wheat due to “highly restricted entry conditions.” The move comes after Sri Lanka in December revoked blanket approvals for wheat imports for human consumption and instead introduced one-year import permits.
Country of origin cases
After talks with the Commerce Department broke down over when Hong Kong-based apparel company Changji Esquel Textile (CJE) could be dropped from the agency's entity list, CJE resumed its litigation against the designation in federal court. The company, part of the Esquel group, on Aug. 27 filed a motion to re-set a hearing on a preliminary injunction against its placement on the list.
South Korea recently updated its requirements for imported U.S. dairy products, including those that contain eggs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service said Aug. 25. The change, which took effect in July, requires all U.S.-origin dairy products to include a dairy export certificate issued by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. South Korea had previously accepted manufacturer statements in addition to USDA certificates. USDA said it launched a new dairy certificate on its Agriculture Trade Licensing & Attestation Solution system to help exporters comply with the new requirement.
Several Republican lawmakers criticized the Biden administration this week for reportedly (see 2108250018) granting export licenses for companies to ship hundreds of millions of dollars worth of auto chips to Huawei. The licenses reportedly were approved within the past several months and authorized only exports of auto chips, which are viewed as less sensitive than other types of semiconductor-related items.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control extended a general license that authorizes U.S. academic institutions to exports certain “online educational services” and software to Iran, the agency said Aug. 24. General License M-1, which replaces General License M (see 2010290043), was extended through 12:01 a.m. EDT Sept. 1, 2022. The original license was scheduled to expire Sept. 1, 2021.
After Mexico asked it for consultations (see 2108230041), arguing that the NAFTA approach to roll-up should be continued under USCMA, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said the request is under review. USTR spokesman Adam Hodge said that U.S. government officials "remain committed to fully implementing the USMCA, including the strong auto regional content requirements to which we all agreed.”
Japan recently expanded the types of plums that can be imported from the U.S., the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service said in an Aug. 22 report. Under the change, announced Aug. 19, imports of U.S.-origin Japanese plums, also known as Prunus salicina, are now allowed, the report said. The imported plums must meet certain conditions, including a mandatory methyl bromide fumigation. They also must include a phytosanitary certificate issued by the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Instead of imposing more sanctions against the Taliban, the U.S. will likely try to repurpose existing regimes to better target the group, sanctions and security experts said. The task, which the experts expect to be “very” challenging, will aim to update a U.S. sanctions program that was originally intended to target terrorists but will need to now target the Taliban-controlled Afghan government. The efforts should be coordinated with allies, the experts added, but could be slowed by the delayed nominations of two senior Treasury Department sanctions officials, who have not yet cleared the Senate.
A leading European chemicals industry association said European Union member states should increase enforcement of chemicals regulations, especially for imported goods, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Aug. 18. The association, the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC), recently released a report that showed a “steep increase” from 2019 to 2020 in cases related to noncompliance with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) legislation, in which an imported product’s country of origin was unknown. The report also showed rises in other import compliance issues, including an increase in instances of mercury in “skin‑lightening products” imported from the Ivory Coast and Pakistan, and an increase in cases of noncompliance involving air conditioning systems and hand sanitizers. CEFIC said the data points to “an urgent need for EU Member States to step up enforcement of REACH particularly for imported goods, including from online marketplaces.”
The Mexican government has asked the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative for formal consultations under USMCA's dispute resolution process over a disagreement on how the auto rules of origin should work. Mexico says that when it agreed to a 75% regional value content standard at the end of the phase-in period, its negotiators were assuming that once a part is considered originating, its value should count as North American as you move to assemblies, and ultimately, to the vehicle as a whole. So, Mexico says that in the text on the rules of origin, if a core part is originating, its full value is counted in a super-core part, such as an engine, and if that engine is originating, its value counts in the RVC for the vehicle as a whole.