CBP Commissioner Discusses Future of Trade Security & Facilitation
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a press release on Commissioner Ralph Basham's October 11, 2006 meeting with members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to discuss areas of common concern on global trade security and facilitation.
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In this meeting Basham spoke about the importance and future of trade security and facilitation. Highlights of the meeting include the following:
Five trade priorities. To build on recent success, Basham outlined five priorities in moving forward:
AD/CV. Protecting business from unfair trade practices by enforcing antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CV) duty requirements to ensure the accurate collection of revenues linked to these trade actions;
Textiles. Enforcing trade laws related to admissibility, including anti-circumvention laws, trade agreements and trade legislation pertaining to imported textiles. This year, CBP has seized more than $100 million in textile products that were smuggled, falsely described or incorrectly claimed as to country of origin to circumvent the China quota or to avoid paying duties.
Revenue collection. Regulating trade practices to ensure strong controls over the revenue process and collecting the appropriate revenues due to the Treasury.
Agricultural contamination. Protecting the American public, American agriculture and the nation's economy from the intentional or unintentional contamination of agricultural products or food.
IPR. Protecting American business from theft of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), an issue of great concern to both the Chamber of Commerce and CBP.
Improved security helps move goods faster, etc. At the meeting Basham stated that, despite concerns about heightened security after the terrorist attacks of 2001, recent history has shown that cargo security and vitality complement each other. He further stated that companies are realizing collateral benefits from improved security in areas such as inventory control and reduced pilferage and are moving more goods across international borders faster and more efficiently.
Recent homeland security appropriations bill, new Office of Trade. According to the press release, Basham also touched on the recent port security funding provided by the homeland security appropriations bill. Basham called it a logical extension of many of the programs CBP has instituted in the previous five years. He further stated that it is CBP's opinion that the legislation is an overwhelming endorsement of CBP's approach to cargo security. (See today's ITT, 06101615, for Part VIII, the most recent part, of BP's series of summaries on the "SAFE" Port Act, which includes information on this legislation.)
Basham also addressed the issue of the new CBP Office of Trade. Basham said that the consolidation of three offices into one will improve CBP's interface with members of industry by providing one consolidated focal point for trade issues, instead of three. (See ITT's Online Archives or 09/15/06 news, 06091505, for BP summary of the announcement of the new Office of Trade.)
CBP Press Release (dated 10/11/06) available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/commissioner/speeches_statements/future_trade_security.xml