The Canadian Parliament is moving the successor to NAFTA along, so that a March ratification vote is still looking likely, news from Canada says. While the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement will be reviewed by the agriculture, natural resources and industry/science/technology committees, not just the trade committee, the other committees only have until Feb. 25 for that review, a report from ipolitics said.
Exports to China
The European Union is beginning an antidumping duty investigation on aluminum extrusions from China, the European Commission said in a Feb. 14 notice in the EU Official Journal. Preliminary duties on Chinese aluminum extrusions imposed in connection with this investigation could come in seven to eight months, the notice said.
Discussions within the Commerce Department to expand U.S. export control jurisdiction over foreign exports to Huawei and beyond would have a chilling effect on the U.S. semiconductor industry, said John Neuffer, president of the Semiconductor Industry Association. Neuffer said current U.S. export restrictions on Huawei are already hurting the industry’s ability to sell to China -- which represents about 35% of U.S. semiconductor sales -- and more restrictions would further alienate Chinese customers who are weary of being added to Commerce’s Entity List. “Some of them are afraid they’re next,” Neuffer said during a Feb. 18 panel hosted by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.
In the Feb. 13-18 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
President Donald Trump said he does not want to make it more difficult to export U.S. goods, adding that he has “instructed” his administration to make it easier for countries to do business with the U.S. “The United States cannot, & will not, become such a difficult place to deal with in terms of foreign countries buying our product, including for the always used National Security excuse, that our companies will be forced to leave in order to remain competitive,” Trump said in a series of Feb. 18 tweets. He added that the U.S. wants to sell to “China and other countries” and “We don’t want to make it impossible to do business with us. That will only mean that orders will go to someplace else.”
China will accept exemption applications for retaliatory tariffs on nearly 700 U.S. products -- including a range of agricultural goods, metals and oils -- beginning March 2, China’s Finance Ministry said in a Feb. 17 notice, according to an unofficial translation. The 696 exempted items include beef, pork, seafood, soybeans, crude oil, certain types of alcohol and more. In their applications, Chinese importers can apply for exemptions for additional goods that are not included on the exempted list, the notice said. China said it will respond to applicants in a “timely manner.”
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for Feb. 10-14 in case you missed them.
Half the companies surveyed by the U.S.-China Business Council say that it's too soon to tell if the tariffs in the China trade war were worth it for the gains won at the negotiating table, even as 78 percent of respondents welcome the phase one deal. Companies see the phase one deal -- which takes effect Feb. 14 -- as something that will prevent more tariff hikes. Of those who are directly affected by the commitments in phase one -- 60 percent of the companies -- the purchase promises matter most, with 30 percent saying that's the most relevant plank. Protection of intellectual property was a close second, with 27 percent of companies saying that's most important.
China’s Foreign Ministry condemned the U.S. decision to formally charge Huawei with theft of U.S. technology and racketeering (see 2002130045), saying the U.S. has “no proof of any wrongdoing.” The ministry urged the U.S. to “immediately stop” hurting Chinese businesses. The indictment is “economic bullying,” a ministry spokesperson said during a Feb. 14 press conference. “It severely undermines the reputation and credibility of the US, as well as the interests of American companies,” the spokesperson said, according to a transcript in English provided by the Chinese Embassy in the U.S.
Japan will allow traders to renew import and export documents and authorizations if they expire due to delays caused by the coronavirus outbreak, the country’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a Feb. 14 notice, according to an unofficial translation. Traders can apply to extend import and export approval certificates, import and export licenses, and customs quota certificates, Japan said. Japan said it is also automatically extending the deadline for traders to meet “conditions attached to the export license” for shipments to China. The country asked traders to fulfill their shipments and orders “as soon as possible.”