The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security made several changes to its Entity List, adding, removing and modifying entries for companies in China, Canada, Malaysia, Russia, The United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and more. The changes add 17 entities to the list, modify 23 existing entries for China, Hong Kong and Russia, and remove three entities located in China and the UAE, BIS said in a notice. The changes take effect Aug. 14.
Exports to China
In the Aug. 9-12 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
A new China-Europe freight train launched last week that will help exports from China’s Sichuan province to Europe and boost foreign trade, China’s State Council Information Office said Aug. 12. The train, carrying more than “30,000 parcels” worth about $70 million, is the “first of its kind” between the city of Chengdu and Budapest, China said. The train is a “significant part” of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the State Council said, and should increase trade between China and Europe.
Recent editions of Mexico's Diario Oficial list trade-related notices as follows:
The White House is delaying decisions on Huawei export licenses after China announced it was suspending purchases of U.S. agricultural products, Bloomberg reported Aug. 8. President Donald Trump announced in June that the U.S. planned to loosen restrictions on Huawei, but that promise was contingent on China increasing U.S. agricultural purchases, Bloomberg said. In an Aug. 1 tweet, Trump said China is not buying enough agricultural goods and announced a 10 percent tariff on $300 billion worth of Chinese goods.
The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of Aug. 9 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):
The escalating trade rhetoric between the U.S. and China should make all companies “realize (if you have not already) that this is not a temporary dispute and is not likely to be resolved anytime soon,” customs lawyer Ted Murphy with Baker & McKenzie blogged on Aug. 9. “The two sides are doubling down and digging in.” With 2020 elections “inching closer” and China’s 70th birthday of the People's Republic festivities set for October, “the political considerations associated with these events make it less likely that a deal will be reached,” he said. “As a result, companies should be re-examining/re-adjusting their supply chains and pursuing additional Section 301 mitigation strategies,” while taking “a view to the medium/long term,” Murphy said.
The newest version of the World Customs Organization Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) compendium includes six new AEO programs, the WCO said in a news release. The document summarizes each AEO program, "comprising information on accreditation criteria, procedures and expected benefits, as well as associated [Mutual Recognition Agreements]." There now are 83 AEO programs, as well as 74 bilateral and four plurilateral mutual recognition agreements, the WCO said. Also new to the guide is information on existing Customs Mutual Assistance Agreements, the WCO said.
China's newly announced Shanghai Free Trade Zone will continue “regardless” of its trade relationship with the U.S., China’s Vice Commerce Minister and top trade negotiator Wang Shouwen said during an Aug. 6 press conference, according to an unofficial translation of a transcript from it.
The director of research for the People's Bank of China criticized the U.S.’s decision to list China as a currency manipulator, saying the U.S. has deviated from its own standards and insisting that China does not use its exchange rate as a “tool to deal with trade disputes.” “The US has unreasonably labeled China as a ‘currency manipulator,’ triggering financial market turmoil, and will greatly hinder international trade and global economic recovery, and ultimately will suffer from its own consequences,” research director Wang Xin said during an Aug. 6 Chinese State Council press conference, according to an unofficial translation.