The U.S. supports South Korea's Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee rather than the Nigerian candidate for director-general, even though the latter has more support, because the World Trade Organization “must be led with someone with real, hands-on experience in the field,” the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said in an Oct. 28 statement, saying “the WTO is badly in need of major reform,” and that Yoo is a “bona fide trade expert.”
Modifications to rules of origin related to the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (USCTPA) announced by presidential proclamation in July will take effect Jan. 1, 2021, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said in a notice released Oct. 28. The changes, which are intended to continue the same tariff treatment under USCTPA despite revisions to the U.S. and Colombian tariff schedules, had been detailed in a report published by the International Trade Commission concurrently with the proclamation (see 2006300079) but awaited USTR’s announcement of an effective date prior to implementation.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced Oct. 19 that CBP has to continue to block timber exports from Inversiones La Oroza, a Peruvian company, because it has illegally harvested timber in its supply chain. The company's timber exports were first banned from U.S. ports in 2017 (see 1710190041), and the order would have expired this month without this action.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is welcoming applications for those who would be willing to serve on binational panels under USMCA to review final determinations in antidumping or countervailing duty cases against Canada or Mexico, or by Canada or Mexico against U.S. parties. These applications would be for service April 1, 2021, through March 31, 2022, USTR said in a notice released Oct. 16. Submissions should be made at regulations.gov under docket number USTR-2020-0039.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will issue a “technical correction” for one of the Section 301 tariff exclusions from List 4A, it said in a recently posted notice. The correction changes some language for “Bright C1060 round wire.” It also similarly corrected an extension of the exclusion. The change is effective as of Sept. 1, 2019, USTR said. The agency will also make two changes to List 3 exclusions, it said in another notice. Those changes apply to “Mixtures containing N,Ndimethyldodecan-1-amine (CAS No. 112–18–5) and N,N-dimethyltetradecan1-amine (CAS No. 112–75–4)” and machine parts of “heading 8471, whether or not incorporating fan hubs or LEDs but not incorporating other goods of headings 8541 or 8542.” Those changes apply from Aug. 7 and expire at the end of 2020.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is making minor changes to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to correct tariff treatment for certain USMCA-qualifying textile and apparel goods, it said in a notice released Oct. 2. All of the changes consist of renumbering existing provisions of chapter 98 subchapter XXIII. The changes are retroactive to July 1.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has asked the International Trade Commission to initiate a global safeguard investigation into imported blueberries, and whether those imports are causing serious injury to domestic blueberry growers. The agency said it would make this request nearly a month ago, but only just recently put the request in, on Sept. 29.
As trade and labor attorneys wait to see which company is the target of a promised AFL-CIO rapid response complaint, Warren Payne, a senior adviser for Mayer Brown's public policy and international trade practices, said there can be informed speculation on who might be first.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced country-by-country allocations of additional fiscal year 2020 in-quota quantities of the tariff-rate quotas for imported raw cane sugar. USTR also announced sugar may be entered under the FY20 TRQ through Oct. 31, 2020, one month later than the usual last entry date. Of the 90,718 metric tons raw value added to the raw cane sugar TRQ by the Agriculture Department on Sept. 10 (see 2009090022), USTR is allocating 10,718 MTRV to Australia and 80,000 MTRV to Brazil, it said in the notice, released Sept. 21.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative plans to adjust an extension for a Section 301 tariff exclusion, it said in a notice. The agency said the technical change applies to an extension of an exclusion to the third list of goods subject to the tariffs. The extensions were “modified by deleting '(described in statistical reporting number 9403.20.0050)' and inserting '(described in statistical reporting number 9403.20.0050 or 9403.20.0078)' in lieu thereof,” it said.