Notable international barriers to U.S. exports include Chinese food restrictions and inconsistent standardization laws, Brazil’s strict telecommunications requirements, Thailand’s discriminatory customs procedures and Europe’s value-added tax system, trade groups said in comments to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The comments, due Oct. 31, were in response to USTR’s request for input for its upcoming National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers.
Exports to China
Japan implored countries to drop restrictions on Japanese food imports from Fukushima, saying the restrictions are hurting its farmers. Several countries, including South Korea, have imposed measures to guard against possible radiation contamination from food imported from Fukushima, which was the site of a nuclear power plant that was damaged by a tsunami in 2011.
Because the U.S. did not fix antidumping calculation methods after it lost a case in 2017 regarding 25 Chinese products, China will soon be authorized to levy tariffs on about $3.58 billion in U.S. goods, the World Trade Organization announced Nov. 1. China will have to formally request the right to retaliate at the next Dispute Settlement Body meeting, scheduled for Nov. 22.
As the U.S. and China look to soon sign phase one of their trade agreement, the two sides are planning another trade call for Nov. 1, China’s Ministry of Commerce said Oct. 31, according to an unofficial translation. The scheduled call comes days after Chile announced it was canceling APEC, the trade summit where President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping expected to sign the deal’s first phase (see 1910300037).
The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of Oct. 30 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):
Chile will no longer host APEC meeting, raising questions about the status of phase one of the U.S.-China trade agreement, which was expected to be signed during the November summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. The country will not be hosting the trade summit due to recent violent protests and social unrest, Chile's President Sebastian Pinera announced Oct. 30, according to Reuters. The summit was expected to feature a meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping after Trump said the two sides were “ahead of schedule” on the agreement’s first phase (see 1910280026). China said the deal’s first phase was “basically completed.”
Four Republican members of the House Financial Services Committee praised the Treasury Department’s proposed regulations for the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act but also criticized several key areas, according to comments released Oct. 29. The comments were signed by Reps. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., Andy Barr, R-Ky., French Hill, R-Ark., and Steve Stivers, R-Ohio.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for Oct. 21-25 in case they were missed.
China plans to eliminate restrictions on some foreign investments and hopes to continue addressing the issue in future trade negotiations, Chinese officials said during an Oct. 29 press conference, according to an unofficial translation.
Macau, a special administrative region of China, will ease import restrictions on certain Japanese food products, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Oct. 28, according to an unofficial translation. The move will lift restrictions from certain vegetables, fruits and dairy products, Japan said.