The Federal Maritime Commission is seeking comments on potential changes to its rules for Carrier Automated Tariffs, including whether carrier tariffs should be available “free of charge” and if the definition of co-loading should be revised to apply only to “less than container loads.” Other proposed changes described in the rule, released May 9, would allow non-vessel operating common carriers (NVOCCs) to “cross reference certain aspects of other carriers’ terms in their tariffs,” clarify NVOCCs’ ability to “reflect increases in certain charges passed-through by other entities without notice,” require that documentation must be annotated with the names of all NVOCCs involved in a shipping transaction, and “make other miscellaneous updates and clarifications.”
The International Trade Commission will produce a report by March 15 next year on the economic impact of Section 301 and Section 232 tariffs on U.S. prices, trade and production in the industries most affected by the tariffs. The commission announced that it will hold a public hearing on July 21, and that requests to appear at that hearing should be filed by July 6. It also will accept written submissions on the topic through Aug. 24.
The Census Bureau is still receiving questions about the role of auction houses in export transactions and that “is probably one of the biggest challenges that we're facing right now,” said Omari Wooden, assistant division chief for trade outreach and regulations. Some exporters have struggled to determine whether the houses should be listed as the U.S Principal Party in Interest and have asked Census for more guidance, but the agency has said each case may be different (see 2107010043).
The Federal Maritime Commission will now require global ocean carrier groups 2M, Ocean Alliance and THE Alliance to provide “enhanced” pricing and capacity information, the FMC announced May 5. The new information requirement will give the FMC more data to assess the “behavior” of ocean carriers, including information on the pricing of individual trade lanes by container and service type. The FMC now also will receive more carrier data “regarding capacity management decisions,” the agency said.
The United Arab Emirates recently launched an online portal for information on the country’s trade deal with India, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported May 4. The portal includes a copy of the full agreement, provides summaries of its “key clauses” and includes a searchable tariff database for specific goods. It also has “tariff structures, introduction timetables, differential treatments, rules of origin, customs procedures, issues impacting small and medium‑size enterprises, and available digital trade options,” the report said. The deal took effect May 1.
The U.S. is looking into whether Chinese semiconductor manufacturer Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. violated U.S. export controls by supplying chips to Huawei, the Financial Times reported April 27. The report said the Bureau of Industry and Security received a “credible” report by TechInsights, a semiconductor analysis firm, that Huawei is using YMTC memory chips in a new smartphone. The chips were reportedly made in February 2021, several months after the U.S. applied its foreign direct product rule to Huawei, which restricts its ability to import foreign-produced goods made with certain levels of U.S.-origin content or technology (see 2005150058).
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told senators repeatedly during her testimony at a Commerce Committee hearing that the conference process for the House and Senate's China packages needs to get done as soon as possible, because other countries are offering funds to chipmakers, and companies are looking to plan new plants, because demand is so high. Raimondo said she's spoken with all the American chipmakers, and it's clear to her that if Congress doesn't act, those companies will invest in Germany, Singapore, France or Spain rather than Ohio or Arizona. Raimondo said, "They want to operate in our country, but they cannot wait. They are going to build, and if we don’t act quickly with USICA, they’ll build elsewhere."
International waste management company Stericycle agreed to pay over $84 million to settle investigations by the U.S. and Brazil into Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations relating to bribes to Mexican, Argentinian and Brazilian officials, DOJ announced April 20. Stericycle entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement over a criminal case charging the company with two counts of conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery provision and books and records provision.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls was able to close significantly more end-use checks in 2021 compared with 2020 despite some continued travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In its annual Blue Lantern report released this month -- which details the agency’s end-use monitoring efforts on controlled defense articles and services -- DDTC said it closed checks on 256 export licenses or applications during fiscal year 2021, an increase of more than 38% from FY 2020.
Panama recently revised import requirements for fresh potatoes and poultry products, and made changes to sanitary registrations for pet food, raw materials, ingredients and additives, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said in an April 12 report. The major changes restricted imports of certain poultry products from countries affected with highly pathogenic avian influenza and established new quality requirements for potatoes, which could “significantly impact the exports of U.S. potatoes to Panama,” USDA said. Potato imports must pass a “visual potato analysis” to ensure they meet certain safety standards, the agency said.