The Census Bureau emailed tips this week on how to address the most frequent messages generated this month in the Automated Export System.
American, German and British environmental and trade politics experts agreed at an American-German Institute event on "Squaring the Transatlantic Circle" on climate policy that although it seems like Western Europe and the U.S. should be united on goals and interests, their economic competition and even pride stand in the way.
A recent U.K. Supreme Court ruling could have implications for how certain sanctions-related payment issues are treated under force majeure clauses in contracts.
Mexico last week removed tariffs on certain aluminum imports because of a shortage in domestic production of raw unalloyed and alloyed aluminum. The country is revoking its 35% tariff on unalloyed aluminum and 20% tariff on alloyed aluminum imports from countries with which it doesn’t have a free trade deal. “The availability of said merchandise in countries with which Mexico has signed an international treaty on trade matters is insufficient to satisfy the supply of the automotive industries, auto parts, and electronics, among others, which is why it is necessary to delete” the tariffs, Mexico said in a notice published in its Diario Oficial de la Federacion May 8, according to an unofficial translation. The tariffs had been in place since April as part of a broader package of increased duties.
China again extended its Section 301 retaliatory tariff exclusion period for sorbitol and other non-U.S. agricultural goods, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said in a May report. The exclusion period was scheduled to expire April 30 but now will remain in effect until Nov. 30. USDA said this is the seventh time China has extended the exclusion period for sorbitol, adding that the U.S. was the third-largest supplier of sorbitol to China in 2023, with Chinese imports reaching $1.2 million.
While the U.S. should look to counter China with export controls, tariffs and outbound investment restrictions, it also needs to better incentivize trading partners to diversify their supply chains away from China, the Atlantic Council said this week.
The Mediterranean Shipping Company denied allegations by the Federal Maritime Commission that it knowingly violated U.S. shipping laws, calling a proposed $63.2 million FMC penalty "excessive and unlawful.”
World Trade Organization members taking part in the Committee on Rules of Origin's April 29 meeting discussed ways to improve the "functioning of the committee" and use digital tools to "facilitate the work of delegates," the WTO said. Members discussed various measures to improve the committee, which included revamping the "rules of origin gateway page on the WTO website" by adding a guide for new delegates on the committee's work and an events page.
An EU-New Zealand trade agreement that eliminates tariffs on EU goods such as "pig meat, wine and sparkling wine, chocolate, sugar confectionary and biscuits," entered into force May 1, the European Commission announced. Under the deal, "sensitive EU agricultural products such as beef, sheepmeat and dairy products are protected with carefully designed tariff rate quotas." EU investors will also receive nondiscriminatory treatment in New Zealand and EU companies will receive greater access to New Zealand procurement contracts, the commission said.
The free trade agreement between China and Ecuador will enter into force May 1, China's Ministry of Commerce announced, according to an unofficial translation. The ministry said the agreement will cancel tariffs on about 90% of goods, with 60% of them to take effect immediately on the day the agreement takes effect. The two countries will establish closer ties in areas such as "rules of origin, customs procedures and trade facilitation, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical trade barriers, trade remedies, dispute settlement, investment cooperation, e-commerce, competition, economic cooperation and so on."