As the coronavirus outbreak disrupts supply chains, U.S. agricultural exporters are unsure when normal cargo processing will resume and are concerned about penalties from ocean freight carriers, according to a Feb. 3 open letter to ocean carriers by Agriculture Transportation Coalition Executive Director Peter Friedmann.
Exports to China
The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of Jan. 31 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):
Although the Defense Department reportedly objected to a proposed Commerce Department rule that would have further restricted foreign sales to Huawei that contain U.S. goods (see 2001240012), the administration will continue considering other ways to increase controls on shipments to Huawei, which may include a “compromise” rule, according to a Jan. 31 research report from Raymond James & Associates. Political support for the proposed rule, including by three senators in a January letter (see 2001270026), may “convince” the Defense Department to “ease its opposition in some form.” If the agency concedes, it will still likely push back on other restrictions on China's technology industry “to preserve some of the revenue stream to the U.S. industrial base,” the report said.
China’s Ministry of Commerce recently issued a circular detailing the expansion of its pilot program for cross border e-commerce retail imports, according to a Jan. 30 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The program will add 50 “cities or regions,” including the whole Hainan Island, which are now able to conduct “bonded import business” for online imports.
Airbus agreed to pay more than $3.9 billion in combined penalties for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, the Justice Department said Jan. 31. The bribery charges, levied by U.S., French and United Kingdom authorities, stem from Airbus’s scheme to bribe non-governmental airline executives and government officials, including officials in China, to retain aircraft contracts.
Eliminating Thailand's eligibility for the Generalized System of Preferences program, because of a complaint from pork producers, would hurt U.S. importers more than Thai businesses, one witness said, and would be unlikely to convince the country to allow pigs fed with ractopamine to be imported. China and the European Union also ban meat that was fed the growth-enhancing drug. Dan Anthony, testifying on behalf of the GSP Action Committee, told the panel of government officials that they should put great weight on the potential harm to U.S. importers as they make their decision. He gave the example of a 25-person company that imports from Thailand, and had to pay $60,000 to $70,000 a month in tariffs during the two years GSP was not in force. Once it was renewed, the North Carolina company hired 17 full-time employees, and today, employs 70 people.
Airbus agreed to pay more than $3.9 billion in combined penalties for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, the Justice Department said. The bribery charges, levied by U.S., French and United Kingdom authorities, stem from Airbus’ scheme to bribe non-governmental airline executives and government officials, including officials in China, to retain aircraft contracts.
China’s Foreign Ministry criticized a U.S. bill passed by the House Jan. 28 that would sanction Chinese officials for government interference in certain Tibetan affairs, calling the bill a breach of international norms. During a Jan. 29 press conference, a ministry spokesperson said China is “firmly opposed to” the bill and urged the U.S. to “correct its mistake,” according to a transcript in English released by the Chinese Embassy in Washington. The bill, which modifies the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002, would require the U.S. to sanction Chinese officials who interfere in the succession of the Dalai Lama, an effort that the bill calls a “serious human rights abuse.”
President Donald Trump, in a signing ceremony Jan. 29, said he would be ending the devastation that NAFTA brought and said that its replacement will strengthen what he called the country's blue-collar boom, “delivering massive gains for the loyal citizens of our nation.” Democrats, who were not invited to the White House ceremony, during their own press conferences ahead of the signing, emphasized how much they'd changed what the president submitted to them, by strengthening labor enforcement and environmental provisions, and removing patent protections for certain kinds of prescription drugs.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for Jan. 21-24 in case you missed them.