Although there were some specific complaints about how USMCA has gone in its first year -- especially what witnesses and senators said was an anemic effort to get Mexico to change its stance on genetically modified agricultural crops -- much of the hearing in the Senate Finance Committee on July 27 explored how USMCA should be seen as a model for future trade agreements.
CBP’s Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee’s full Export Modernization White Paper includes a range of appendices that provide greater insight into how CBP and the COAC envision export modernization. The 127-page paper, originally issued as an abbreviated 24-page version in June, defines the roles and responsibilities of parties in the export process, dives further into export modernization recommendations and includes a range of areas in the Foreign Trade Regulations that will likely be revised. The other appendices include an analysis of Electronic Export Information data elements, information on post-departure filing and other documents produced by the COAC’s working groups.
A European Union request for dispute consultations with Russia in the World Trade Organization over an alleged Russian import substitution program was circulated to members July 26. The substitution program includes three measures to favor Russian state-owned enterprises and businesses over imported goods: price preferencing favoring Russian-origin products in government procurement practices, requirements to obtain prior authorization for the purchase of certain engineering products, and minimum quotas for Russian-origin products in the procurement policies of SOEs. “The EU claims the measures relating to the activities of certain state-related entities, and laws and regulations regulating these activities, are inconsistent with various provisions under the WTO's General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994, the General Agreement on Trade in Services, and Russia's Protocol of Accession to the WTO,” a notice on the dispute consultations said.
The European Union kicked off a “new exporter” review of the antidumping duties on the imports of trichloroisocyanuric acid from China for three Chinese exporters, in a July 23 entry in the Official Journal of the European Union. Hebei Xingfei Chemical, Inner Mongolia Likang Bio-Tech and Shandong Lantian Disinfection Technology each requested review of the duties, providing sufficient evidence that they didn't export the product to the EU during the period of investigation on which the AD duties were originally based, the entry said. The new exporter review could potentially repeal the duty on the three companies' exports and subject the imports to registration.
Mexico's Economy Secretary, Tatiana Clouthier, said she talked about Mexico's concerns about the auto rules of origin with the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, the ranking members of that committee and of the Senate Finance Committee, two other Republican senators, and four business groups, including two auto manufacturing trade groups, as well as a major aerospace manufacturer.
The United Kingdom opened a consultation period for interested parties to help shape new trading rules for developing countries, the Department for International Trade said in a July 19 news release. The proposed Developing Countries Trading Scheme would apply to 70 countries and includes lowering tariffs and simplifying rules of origin requirements for exports to the U.K., it said. The new scheme would look to take a “simpler, more generous, pro-growth approach to trading with developing countries,” the release said. The consultation period for the new rules will run for eight weeks.
Singapore Customs in a July 19 notice reminded traders of the proper information to be submitted when applying for an import or export permit. Customs agents should submit the proper eight-digit Harmonised System Code, the correct value of the declared goods in Singapore dollars based on commercial invoices and the description of the goods, including specific descriptions. Other permit fields include the units of quantity and measurement for the respective HS code, proper country of origin information, country of final destination data and preferential indicators.
The Census Bureau July 19 emailed tips on how to address the most frequent messages generated this month in the Automated Export System. Response code 531 is a fatal error for when the “Foreign/Domestic Origin Indicator” is not allowed. Census said the Foreign/Domestic Origin Indicator should not be reported when the Export Information Code is HH for household goods. The filer should verify the Export Information Code and Foreign/Domestic Origin Indicator, correct the shipment and resubmit.
The U.S. released an advisory to highlight the sanctions and export controls risks for companies doing business in Hong Kong and announced a new set of Hong Kong designations July 16. The advisory, issued by the State, Treasury, Commerce and Homeland Security departments, describes “considerations” for businesses operating in “this new legal landscape,” which includes several sanctions regimes targeting Beijing and Hong Kong.
Japan Customs published an updated list July 15 of the issuing authorities for exports' certificate of origin under the Generalized System of Preferences for North Macedonia and Afghanistan. The Economic Chamber of North Macedonia may certify a product's origin for North Macedonia, and the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment may do the same for Afghanistan. Japan's GSP applies reduced tariffs for imports from developing countries.