Taiwan plans to lift import restrictions on U.S. pork and beef, President Tsai Ing-wen said Aug. 28, adding that some Taiwanese restrictions, including in the agricultural sector, are blocking Taiwan from forming a “closer bond” with the U.S.
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 U.S. Chamber of Commerce praised the beginning of U.S.-Kenya trade talks July 7 in Nairobi. Scott Eisner, president of the U.S.-Africa Business Center at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, issued a statement that said: “A deepening U.S.-Kenya commercial relationship will benefit the U.S., Kenya, and the entire African continent. It is our hope that when complete, the agreement will not only be the first of its kind between the U.S. and a sub-Saharan African country, but also lay the groundwork to strengthen and deepen our relationships with economies across the continent by providing the necessary legal protections and enduring, reciprocal trade. With the African Growth and Opportunity Act set to expire in 2025, a Kenya free trade agreement will provide American businesses the certainty they need to continue investing in this growing market.”
A letter from 41 trade groups -- including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the U.S.-China Business Council, and others in information technology, apparel, agriculture and pharmaceuticals -- asks both Chinese and American lead negotiators to “redouble efforts to implement all aspects of the Agreement, including purchases of U.S. manufactured goods, energy products, services, and agricultural goods, where implementation seems to be lagging.”
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Aluminum Association reacted with dismay June 23 to a Bloomberg report that the U.S. could re-impose 10% tariffs on Canadian aluminum on July 1, because of an alleged surge in imports since tariffs were lifted. The U.S. trade representative told senators last week that he is in consultations with Canada on the issue.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for June 15-19 in case you missed them.
The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security announced a new set of export controls on certain cultivation chambers and chemicals (see 2005150048). The controls, agreed to by the Australia Group during a February meeting, restrict the sales of certain “rigid-walled, single-use” cultivation chambers and precursor chemicals, along with the “Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus,” or MERS. The final rule, which takes effect June 17, falls under BIS's effort to restrict sales of emerging technologies (see 2005190052), as mandated by the 2018 Export Control Reform Act, the agency said.
The International Chamber of Commerce recently issued an addendum to its guidance on the use of sanctions clauses, urging banks to refrain from using or accepting sanctions clauses that impose extra restrictions on a deal. Broad sanctions clauses “defeat the independence principle in letters of credit and demand guarantees, the exclusively documentary nature of the instrument, and create uncertainty,” the ICC said in the May addendum.
China reportedly ordered its state-controlled companies to stop buying certain U.S. agricultural products after the U.S. certified last week that Hong Kong no longer qualifies for special trade treatment. The decision also came after President Donald Trump said the U.S. will sanction Chinese officials, increase export controls on dual-use technologies, and end the special customs territory in response to Beijing’s so-called national security law (see 2005290047), which the State Department said threatens Hong Kong’s autonomy (see 2005270026).