The Commerce Department published its spring 2020 regulatory agenda for the Bureau of Industry and Security. The agenda includes a new mention of a rule to control “software” for the operation of “automated nucleic acid assemblers and synthesizers” capable of designing and building “functional genetic elements from digital sequence data.” BIS said the software can be used in the production of pathogens and toxins, with the potential for those to make their way into biological weapons if export controls on the software are lacking. The notice of proposed rulemaking, part of BIS’ effort to control emerging and foundational technologies (see 2005190052), will request industry comments about how the controls might affect “legitimate commercial or scientific applications.” BIS said it aims to issue the proposed rule this month.
Trade groups are asking top Mexican politicians to change Mexico's tariff treatment of packages that are under the $117 de minimis level and informal entries. The groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Express Association of America and its Mexican counterpart, and the National Retail Federation, wrote the economy secretary, finance secretary and the head of Mexico's equivalent of the IRS on July 7, because of June 30 amendments to Mexico's Reglas Generales de Comercio Exterior regulations.
The negotiations toward a U.S.-United Kingdom trade agreement, which are happening online, are starting with the commonalities, but Britain's North American trade commissioner and consul general in New York said he thinks they will be able to find a way forward even on the sensitive issues in agriculture.
The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of June 3 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said its negotiators will seek to make things easier for express shippers in Kenya, will seek to get Kenya to agree to basing its phytosanitary rules on science, and “secure comprehensive duty-free market access for U.S. industrial goods” as it works towards a free-trade agreement with that country.
The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of May 4 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):
Although the hearing scheduled for input on a Kenya Free Trade deal was canceled, comments continue to come in for what the U.S. trade representative's priorities should be.
The Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security this week postponed several upcoming export compliance seminars due to the COVID-19 pandemic response and announced an online-only export control conference for May. The online conference, which will run May 19-22, will cover a range of export compliance topics, BIS said, including the scope of the Export Administration Regulations, classifying items for export, using license exceptions, the de minimis and direct product rules, export enforcement and more. The conference will be hosted by “BIS specialists” during a daily three-hour session from 9 a.m. to noon. The conference will also include a question-and-answer session. Note that the conference is on Pacific Daylight Time.
Technology and semiconductor trade groups are objecting to increased export restrictions under consideration by the Trump administration, saying the controls could lead to industry uncertainty with significant impacts on semiconductor companies. In an April 6 letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, the groups urged the administration to request industry input before finalizing the rule, which reportedly includes three measures to tighten restrictions on China’s ability to obtain advanced U.S. technology (see 2004020012).
The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of April 6 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):