The World Customs Organization issued the following release on commercial trade and related matters:
The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) for CBP will next meet Dec. 4, beginning at 1 p.m., in Washington, CBP said in a notice.
The U.S. and Brazil cannot achieve a traditional free trade agreement, because Brazil is a party to Mercosur, a regional customs union -- even if the long-term participation in Mercosur is in question. But Renata Vasconcellos, senior policy director Brazil-U.S. Business Council, said her group “fully supports" what she called a "non-traditional trade agreement." Vasconcellos was one of many panelists speaking at American University Nov. 5 at an International Trade Symposium focused on Brazilian issues. "I’m concerned about the closing of this window. Let’s take what we can get now," she said.
Australia’s customs agency recently reissued a guidance on the “voluntary disclosure of post-importation adjustments,” reminding importers they must disclose any goods-related transfer pricing adjustments “as soon as the importer becomes aware of them,” according to an Oct. 24 post from KPMG. Importers must also disclose certain other payments and costs “not included in the customs value of the goods at the time of importation,” KPMG said, including royalties, license fees, research and development costs, certain commissions, proceeds from selling the goods and “any other goods-related payments.” Under Australia’s “customs self-assessment regime,” importers are required to determine what payments must be included in the customs value, the post said, and non-disclosures are subject to infringement notices and penalties.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a report Oct. 25 on prospects for U.S. exporters in West Africa, saying certain countries in the region are unable to meet agricultural demand and present “plenty of opportunities” for U.S. exporters. The countries include Côte d’Ivoire, the Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal. The report contains detailed trade analysis and key agricultural trade prospects for each nation, including which exports have the most potential. While the USDA said some “challenges and trade barriers do exist in the region” -- including bans on certain poultry products -- the U.S. should be aiming to build better relationships with West Africa, which will lead to more market access in other African regions.
The United Kingdom's Department for International Trade on Oct. 23 released a guidance on its trade continuity agreement with Lebanon and an in-depth policy paper on the implications of the deal. The guidance details what the agreement covers and how it copies elements of Lebanon’s agreement with the European Union. The 28-page policy paper includes more details of the continuity agreement, an analysis of trade between the two countries, information on the number of businesses exporting and importing goods to and from Lebanon, and an explanation of the “potential loss” to Britain if the agreement does not take effect.
Venezuela’s oil production will continue to drastically decline in 2020 if Nicolas Maduro stays in power, potentially crippling future Venezuelan oil trade, said Alejandro Grisanti, director of the ad hoc board for Petroleos de Venezuela set up by opposition party leader Juan Guaido. Speaking during an Oct. 22 Atlantic Council panel, Grisanti said Venezuela’s oil production will fall to 450,000 barrels per day in 2020 if Maduro stays in power. The country’s oil production has fallen from 1.5 million to about 750,000 barrels per day this year due to U.S. sanctions, Grisanti said.
Co-chairs of the Department of Homeland Security Information and Communications Technology Supply Chain Risk Management Task Force urged House Homeland Security Committee members to consider enacting new liability protections and incentives to encourage companies and foreign governments to share information on threats to the supply chain. Committee leaders appeared interested, during an Oct. 16 hearing, in further protections. They invoked perceived supply-chain threats posed by Kaspersky Lab and Chinese telecom equipment manufacturers Huawei and ZTE.
The Federal Maritime Commission will look at multiple factors, including cargo accessibility and the transparency of involved terminology, when it considers whether detention or demurrage practices are reasonable, the agency said in a notice it posted ahead of publication in the Federal Register. The proposed interpretive rule is meant to help address issues with detention and demurrage charges and follows a multiyear effort on that front (see 1606130005). Comments are due Oct. 17, the FMC said in a news release.
Vietnam plans to revise regulations to loosen restrictions on certain auto imports to help its domestic car industry, according to a Sept. 9 report from Vietnam Customs’ mouthpiece CustomsNews. The revised regulations may change when certain car imports are inspected to help “improve quality and lower production costs to increase competitiveness,” the report said. Vietnam is also considering lowering import tariff rates on car parts and not applying a “special consumption tax for automobiles which are locally-produced,” in an effort to lower prices of domestic vehicles and increase competitive pricing, the report said.