Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said he doesn't expect the U.S. to negotiate over the tariffs it has put on European goods like Airbus planes, Scotch whiskey, French wine, and Spanish wine and olive oil until the World Trade Organization rules on Boeing subsidies. Currently, there are 10% tariffs on Airbus planes and 25% tariffs on the wine, liquor and food items; the aircraft tariff is set to climb to 15% on March 18. The Boeing ruling is not expected for several months.
Exports to China
China has taken “numerous actions” to begin implementing its agricultural purchase commitments under the U.S-China phase one trade deal, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said Feb. 25. China recently announced it will allow imports of U.S. “fresh chipping potatoes” (see 2002240011), lifted an import ban on U.S. poultry and poultry products (see 1911140019) and lifted restrictions on certain pet food imports (see 2002240010) from the U.S. China also updated its list of facilities approved for exporting animal protein, pet food, dairy, infant formula and tallow, updated the list of goods that can be exported to China as feed additives and updated an approved list of imported U.S. seafood species.
China recently issued a series of measures to encourage foreign trade companies to resume business as the country continues battling the coronavirus outbreak, according to a Feb. 25 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. Among several changes, customs authorities will simplify business registration and filing procedures, and expedite inspections and releases of imported production equipment and raw materials, including the use of “machine-assisted inspection” and “out-of-box audits.” China will also expand imports of agricultural products by increasing “the number of countries and registered companies with access to China’s market” as well as the variety of agricultural goods that can be imported. Other measures simplify and relax procedures surrounding exports, quarantine examinations and approvals, trade documentation deadlines and administrative penalties.
In the Feb. 19-24 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
China is not requiring consignors and consignees to be present during customs inspections of imports and exports in order to limit the spread of the coronavirus, according to a Feb. 24 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The measure is also aimed at increasing the speed of inspections and releases of goods, the report said.
China lifted import restrictions on certain pet foods containing “ruminant ingredients,” according to an unofficial translation of a Feb. 19 notice from China’s General Administration of Customs. The agency said it will release inspection and quarantine requirements for pet food imports in a separate notice.
China’s General Administration of Customs will allow imports of U.S. fresh potatoes that meet certain inspection and quarantine requirements, according to an unofficial translation of a Feb. 21 notice. The notice includes an attachment with the specific requirements that all U.S. potato imports must meet.
China recently introduced plans to streamline imports of auto parts by allowing companies in eight cities to take “direct delivery” of the imports and arrange on-site inspections by customs officers at a later date, according to a Feb. 21 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The on-site inspections may also include “random checks,” the report said. The measure was introduced for Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Ningbo, and covers imports of certain seat belts, sunroofs, brakes and parts of tractors, brakes and parts of “large passenger vehicles” and “other parts and accessories of bodies (including cabs),” the report said.
The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of Feb. 21 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):
While auto parts, LCD panels and pharmaceuticals are most concentrated in the Chinese province where the coronavirus epidemic began, a recent Congressional Research Service report noted that quarantines are affecting port staffing, which can affect all shipments from China. “Business reopening has been uneven across sectors and locations in China. Many firms are awaiting government approvals to reopen and are facing difficulties in meeting new operating requirements, such as providing masks for employees,” the report said. Because passenger air traffic has been curtailed to and from China, there is much less space for air cargo shipments.