Chambers of commerce in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. collectively are asking each country's leaders to hold each other accountable to fully implement USMCA. In a joint letter Nov. 16, they said, "The Canadian and Mexican private sectors share apprehension over differing interpretations of USMCA’s rules of origin and how the U.S. interpretation of these provisions poses risks to our integrated supply chains." They also said that the Canadian and U.S. private sectors are deeply concerned about Mexico's actions restricting investment in its energy sector. "Attempts to favor state-owned enterprises at the expense of renewable and other private energy providers only undermine investment certainty, put at risk ambitious shared goals to address climate change, and promise both added cost and diminished opportunity for our countries’ workers," they wrote, and said they hope government will engage the private sector in meaningful dialogue in both arenas. They also said in future emergencies like the pandemic, "there should also be greater cooperation on border management to ensure the flow of commercial traffic and cargo."

Two new agencies, the Council for Leather Exports and Udaipur Chamber of Commerce & Industry, are now able to issue Non-Preferential Certificates of Origin, India's Directorate-General of Foreign Trade said. CLE is located in the Tamil Nadu state and the UCCI is in Rajasthan. The DGFT's notice also updated the name and contact information for one of the existing authorized agencies: Marathwada Industries Association, which changed its name to the Chamber of Marathwada Industries and Agriculture.

The Commerce Department should tread carefully when imposing new export controls, foreign investment restrictions and limits on standards collaboration, which may jeopardize the U.S.’s position in global information and communications technology supply chains, U.S. companies and trade groups told the agency this month. Some of those regulatory restrictions are already having chilling effects on U.S. competitiveness, they said, as foreign firms and countries can quickly fill voids in overseas markets and leadership positions in global standards bodies.

Tariffs imposed on goods from China during the previous administration likely contributed to the ongoing chip shortage, though an increasing demand and port congestion are bigger factors, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., said. Speaking during an Oct. 20 event hosted by The Washington Post, both underscored the severity of the supply chain crisis and said lawmakers should move faster to pass legislation that would provide more funding to the semiconductor industry.

Although U.S. traders would widely welcome the U.S. rejoining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, industry officials are disappointed with the country’s lack of urgency on the trade pact and don't expect the Biden administration to prioritize the deal before its term ends. While they said mini trade deals, such as the 2020 agreement with Japan (see 1912050058), can serve as “short-term” bandages, they aren’t nearly enough to make up for the benefits U.S. traders would have received under TPP.

Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for Aug. 30 - Sept.3 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce gave advice to Congress in July and August on how to shape legislation that Congress is calling a "polluter import fee," which most call a carbon border adjustment tax. On Sept. 2, it published its reaction to one bill on the table, the Coons-Peters bill, although Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has not said that the Coons bill will be the starting point for legislation he wishes to advance as part of the "soft infrastructure package" Congress is trying to write this fall (see 2108100031). Just before leaving for the August recess, Wyden said that the Senate was far from a concrete proposal, and that any proposal must get the support of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. Manchin represents a state where coal mining is the third-largest industry.

Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for Aug. 23-27 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.

A readout of U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai's video call with the U.S.-China Business Council and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's China Center Advisory Board said that she told them that the trade relationship with China is important, and there needs to be "a thorough strategic assessment to craft resilient trade policy that supports the Administration’s efforts to create jobs, raise wages, and strengthen our communities." She "reiterated USTR’s commitment to addressing China’s unfair trade policies and non-market practices that undermine American businesses and workers." The readout made no mention of tariffs, but said the business groups talked about the "challenges and opportunities" in the China market.

Tarif Akhras, founder of the Akhras Group and chairman of Syria's Homs Chamber of Commerce, was removed from the United Kingdom's Syrian sanctions regime, the Office of Financial Sanctions Notice said in a financial sanctions notice Aug. 12. The delisting notice provided no explanation for his removal.