In the March 11 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 54, No. 8), CBP published notices that propose to modify rulings and similar treatment for lighted metal trees and evaporated creamer.
The Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated on March 16. The following headquarters rulings not involving carriers were modified on March 16, according to CBP:
In the March 4 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 54, No. 8), CBP published notices that propose to modify rulings and similar treatment for country of origin under Section 301 tariffs and for footwear.
CBP released its March 4 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 54, No. 8), which includes the following ruling actions:
CBP released its March 11 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 54, No. 9), which includes the following ruling actions:
The Commerce Department is giving advance notice that next month it will consider revoking the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on oil country tubular goods from China (A-570-943/C-570-944), and the antidumping duty orders on polyvinyl alcohol from China (A-570-879) and Japan (A-588-861), in automatic five-year sunset reviews scheduled to begin in April 2020. These orders will be revoked unless Commerce finds that revocation would lead to a continuation or recurrence of dumping and the International Trade Commission finds that revocation would result in continuation or recurrence of material injury to a U.S. industry.
The Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission began five-year sunset reviews of antidumping duty orders on prestressed concrete steel wire strand from Brazil, India, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and Thailand (A-351-837, A-533-828, A-588-068, A-201-831, A-580-852, A-549-820); tetrahydrofuryl alcohol from China (A-570-887); and commodity matchbooks from India (A-533-848); as well as the countervailing duty orders on prestressed concrete steel wire strand from India (C-533-829) and commodity matchbooks from India (C-533-849).
Six Democratic senators recently sent a letter that calls for suspending Generalized System of Preferences program benefits if labor rights violations are found in the Philippines. The senators also oppose a free trade agreement with the Philippines. This letter, sent Feb. 11, follows a letter from House Democrats in 2018 that also argued that the Philippines is not the right target for a free trade deal, given the human rights violations there (see: 1809050040). “We are gravely concerned that our trade policy could be mistaken for condoning the labor and human rights violations perpetrated by President Duterte,” wrote Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.; Ron Wyden, D-Ore; Robert Menendez, D-N.J.; Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Bob Casey, D-Pa. They asked for an out-of-cycle review for GSP eligibility over human rights and labor rights, and for a quick suspension from the program if violations are substantiated.
A restoration of India to the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program that's been under negotiation for more than six months (see 1909060029) is unlikely to be announced during President Donald Trump's trip to India next week, the U.S.-India Business Council said Feb. 20. Nisha Biswal, president of the USIBC, said on a conference call with reporters, “It does look at this juncture that we may not have a trade agreement as part of the president’s visit … which is of course a disappointment to our members.”
The Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated on Feb. 7. The following headquarters rulings not involving carriers were modified on Feb. 6, according to CBP: