Canada is implementing new import restrictions on certain commodities used in animal feed, including unprocessed and raw grains and oilseeds and associated meals, when imported from a list of countries that have had cases of African Swine Fever in the past five years. According to a Canadian Food Inspection Agency notice posted by the Animal Nutrition Association of Canada, the restrictions apply to all goods of Chapter 11 of the Canadian tariff schedule, and some goods of Chapters 10, 12 and 23, imported through the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec and Halifax. Such imports, when imported from any of the 43 countries named as having a recent case of ASF, must be accompanied by an import permit from CFIA and a producer questionnaire. The U.S. is not one of the countries on the list.
India again delayed retaliatory tariffs on goods imported from the U.S., pushing the new start to May 2, according to a notice from India’s Ministry of Finance. The tariffs, first announced in May 2018 and most recently delayed until April 1, 2019, will target agricultural products, motorcycles, steel products, and phosphoric and boric acid, and are aimed at offsetting the $241 million in duties India expects its U.S. customers to pay on its steel and aluminum exports. The tariffs have been delayed multiple times after they were originally expected to take effect in June 2018. Many of the items already face high tariffs -- walnuts are taxed at 100 percent, fresh apples at 50 percent, chickpeas at 60 percent, motorcycles at 100 percent -- but the actions would add 10 percent more to many ag products, 20 percent more to walnuts and almonds, and 50 percent more to motorcycles.
China will continue to suspend tariffs on U.S.-made cars and auto parts past April 1, according to a notice from China’s State Council and a report from Reuters. In December, China originally announced it was suspending additional 25 percent tariffs on U.S. vehicles and parts as a show of good faith as the two countries negotiated a trade deal. The tariff suspension was scheduled to end April 1, but China announced on March 31 that the country would be upholding the suspension to “create a good atmosphere for the ongoing trade negotiations between both sides,” according to Reuters. China’s State Council said it will announce at a later date when the extension will expire.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer touched on India’s potential retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. and criticized the country’s “significant tariff and nontariff barriers” in the 2019 National Trade Estimate on Foreign Trade Barriers. The 540-page report, released March 29, said India’s tariff barriers “impede imports of U.S. products into India” and was critical of India’s “complex” customs system and failure to “observe transparency requirements.”
The European Union published a new edition of its Explanatory Notes to the Combined Nomenclature tariff schedule in the March 29 Official Journal. “The Explanatory Notes to the CN are considered to be an important aid for interpreting the scope of the various tariff headings but do not have legally binding force,” the EU Commission said in an emailed press release. “The latest version is now available from EU Official Journal C 119 of 29 March 2019. It includes and, where appropriate, replaces those published in the EU Official Journal, C series, up to 4 January 2019.”
China will continue to suspend tariffs on U.S.-made cars and auto parts past April 1, according to a notice from China’s Ministry of Finance. In December, China originally announced it was suspending additional 25 percent tariffs on U.S. vehicles and parts as a show of good faith as the two countries negotiated a trade deal. The tariff suspension was scheduled to end April 1, but China announced on March 31 that the country would be upholding the suspension to “create a good atmosphere for economic and trade consultations between the two sides,” according to an unofficial translation of the announcement. The Ministry of Finance said it will announce at a later date when the extension will expire.
Canada may pursue an increase in its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods as part of an effort to convince President Donald Trump to end the U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation said in a March 29 report. Mexico too is said to be considering an expansion to its retaliatory tariffs (see 1903140025). Additional tariffs on the U.S. are hoped to push Trump toward lifting the metals tariffs as part of U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade deal, the CBC reported.
The United Kingdom’s HM Revenue & Customs posted a new video March 28 intended to explain requirements for trading with the European Union should the U.K. leave the EU with no deal in place. The video covers applying for an Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number, transitional simplified procedures (TSP), preparing to make customs declarations, entry summary declarations and paying the correct import and export duty and VAT, HMRC said.
China overhauled its e-commerce regulations in recent months, upping its de minimis level and adding new responsibilities for logistics providers and foreign suppliers, and also adopted new regulations on foreign medical device facility inspections. Meanwhile, China's General Administration of Customs has recently set new requirements for bonded zones and set lower value-added tax rates for some products. The following is an update on recent customs and trade-related actions by China:
In the March 27 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted: