South Korea intends to hold preliminary talks with Trans-Pacific Partnership countries aimed at joining the TPP negotiations, said the U.S. Trade Representative in a Friday written statement. The U.S. has targeted year’s end for conclusion of TPP negotiations among the current 12 participant nations. “Korea plays an important role in the regional economy, and its interest in the TPP demonstrates the significant importance of this initiative to the region,” said USTR Michael Froman. President Barack Obama, the other TPP leaders “and their teams are currently working actively to complete the negotiations,” said Froman. “Given that prior to entry any new member needs to complete bilateral consultations with current TPP members and those members need to complete domestic processes, as appropriate, the possible entry of any new country would be expected to occur after the negotiations among the current members are concluded."
South Korea intends to hold preliminary talks with Trans-Pacific Partnership countries aimed at joining the TPP negotiations, said the U.S. Trade Representative in a Friday written statement. The U.S. has targeted year’s end for conclusion of TPP negotiations among the current 12 participant nations. “Korea plays an important role in the regional economy, and its interest in the TPP demonstrates the significant importance of this initiative to the region,” said USTR Michael Froman. President Barack Obama, the other TPP leaders “and their teams are currently working actively to complete the negotiations,” said Froman. “Given that prior to entry any new member needs to complete bilateral consultations with current TPP members and those members need to complete domestic processes, as appropriate, the possible entry of any new country would be expected to occur after the negotiations among the current members are concluded."
The Commerce Department published notices in the Nov. 29 Federal Register on the following AD/CV duty proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CV duty rates, scope, affected firms, or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):
South Korea intends to hold preliminary talks with Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries aimed at joining the negotiations, said the U.S. Trade Representative said in a Nov. 29 statement. The U.S. continues to target the end of 2013 for conclusion of TPP negotiations among the current 12 participant nations (see 13112924).
The Commerce Department is postponing until Feb. 10 its preliminary determination in the antidumping duty investigation on steel threaded rod from India. The preliminary determination was originally scheduled for Dec. 20, but the domestic petitioners requested additional time. Cash deposits of estimated AD duties can only be collected after the preliminary determination in AD duty investigations, although cash deposits can be made retroactive 90 days from the preliminary determination if Commerce finds “critical circumstances.”
The Commerce Department issued the final results of the antidumping duty administrative review on circular welded carbon steel pipes and tubes from Taiwan (A-570-008). The agency finalized its finding that Shin Yang is the successor to Yieh Phui for AD duty purposes, because Yieh Phui transferred its circular welded pipe manufacturing operations to Shin Yang, its subsidiary. Subject merchandise from Yieh Phui will now enter at the all others rate. The new rates are effective Nov. 29, and will be implemented by CBP soon.
The Xbox One costs about $90 more than the PS4 to make, according to the preliminary results of a teardown of Microsoft’s new console by IHS. The combined hardware and manufacturing cost of the Xbox One is $471, “suggesting that Microsoft is subsidizing the cost” of its console at launch, IHS said Tuesday. The Xbox One has a bill of materials (BOM) of $457, said IHS. Manufacturing is estimated at $14, so the console’s $471 total cost is only $28 less than its retail price of $499, said IHS. That’s similar to the PS4, which costs only $18 less than its $399 retail price (CED Nov 21 p3), said IHS. Microsoft may be “more willing to take a loss on hardware sales” with the Xbox One than it has for its prior-generation products, said IHS. The Xbox One is “designed to serve as a beachhead in the home for Microsoft, with the console’s capability to interact with -- and interface to -- other devices,” including TVs, set-top boxes, smartphones and tablets, said Steve Mather, senior principal analyst, in a news release. The Xbox One’s “core architecture is very similar” to the PS4, with most of the functionality of the two systems “residing in highly integrated system-on-chip (SOC) devices supplied” by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), said IHS. The largest factor increasing the hardware cost of the Xbox One compared to the PS4 is Microsoft’s inclusion of the enhanced Kinect system as a standard feature, said IHS. The Kinect adds $75 to the Xbox One’s BOM and manufacturing cost, it estimated. “Preliminary modeling” from IHS suggests the AMD chip in the Xbox One should cost about 10 percent more than the device the chip maker sells to Sony for the PS4, said IHS, or $110, compared with $100 for the PS4. Another “major cost driver” of the Xbox One compared with the PS4 is the optical drive, said IHS. Microsoft uses a Blu-ray drive made by Lite-On, compared with what IHS believes to be an in-house, Sony-made device in the PS4, said IHS. The Lite-On drive accounts for $32 of the Xbox One BOM, said IHS. The power supply on the Xbox One also is a $25 cost for the Xbox One, it said. Unlike the PS4, which features an internal power supply, Microsoft “adds bulk and cost by employing an external power supply” for the Xbox One, said IHS. Microsoft didn’t immediately comment.
Antidumping duty cash deposit rates will fall for most importers of silica bricks and shapes from China (A-570-988), after the Commerce Department issued its final affirmative antidumping duty determination. The final determination is effective Nov. 27.
The International Trade Commission published notices in the Nov. 25 Federal Register on the following AD/CV injury, Section 337 patent, and other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will appear in another ITT article):
The Commerce Department published notices in the Nov. 25 Federal Register on the following AD/CV duty proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CV duty rates, scope, affected firms, or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):