White House Adds Myanmar as GSP Beneficiary
President Barack Obama is adding Myanmar as a least developed beneficiary developing country to the list of Generalized System of Preferences beneficiaries after a roughly 27-year absence from the program, he said in a proclamation to Congress (here). Harmonized Tariff Schedule General Notes 4(a) and 4(b)(i) will be modified to list “Burma.” Modifications to the HTS will take effect and apply to goods withdrawn from a warehouse for consumption or entered on or after Nov. 13, according to the proclamation. The announcement aligns with Obama’s meeting scheduled with Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi in the Oval Office Sept. 14. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative started reviews to consider Myanmar’s GSP eligibility in April 2013, after the nation’s qualification for the program was withdrawn in 1989 because of worker rights violations (see 13041521). A joint statement on the U.S.-Myanmar relationship said the Asian country has strengthened its protections for "internationally recognized worker rights."
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Unions, trade associations and advocacy groups three years ago urged the U.S. government to exercise caution in reviewing whether to extend GSP benefits for the country (see 13052918). But more recently, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in a June white paper urged GSP addition for Myanmar, and for removing individuals and entities of that country from the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (see 1606070036). U.S. easing of sanctions since 2012 has helped grow U.S.-Myanmar trade to “its highest level in decades,” the chamber said. In May, the Office of Foreign Assets Control eased some Myanmar general license policies (see 1605170014). The Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees didn’t comment.
Email ITTNews@warren-news.com for a copy of the joint statement.