The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking comments by June 18, 2012, on a proposed rule that would amend the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by (i) adding a requirement for persons shipping under Authorization Validated End-User to send written notice of such shipments to the recipient VEU; (ii) saying that item-specific conditions under Authorization VEU no longer apply when such items no longer require licenses or become eligible under a license exception; and (iii) for such items, VEUs are still subject to the recordkeeping requirements for items shipped before removal of the license requirement or addition of the license exception.
Brian Feito
Brian Feito is Managing Editor of International Trade Today, Export Compliance Daily and Trade Law Daily. A licensed customs broker who spent time at the Department of Commerce calculating antidumping and countervailing duties, Brian covers a wide range of subjects including customs and trade-facing product regulation, the courts, antidumping and countervailing duties and Mexico and the European Union. Brian is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason University. He joined the staff of Warren Communications News in 2012.
The International Trade Administration issued a correction to its notice of initiation of the countervailing duty investigation of drawn stainless steel sinks from China (C-570-984). In the scope of the original CV initiation notice, the ITA omitted a word and used an incomplete Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) number.
A Pennsylvania man was charged with smuggling counterfeit Viagra and Cialis pills into the U.S. The case is being investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. An HSI investigation revealed that Randy Hucks rented several mail boxes at a U.S. Postal Facility in Philadelphia on behalf of businesses that he allegedly owned under such names as Bargain Basket Inc., Fashionista Inc. and Fashionista Emporium Inc. As part of the alleged scheme, Hucks illegally imported 10,188 counterfeit Viagra pills and 3,040 counterfeit Cialis pills from factories in China. If convicted, Hucks faces up to 100 years in federal prison and a fine of $5 million.
Mexico's Diario Oficial of April 16, 2012, lists notices from the Secretary of the Economy as follows:
The International Trade Administration issued the initiation and preliminary results of its antidumping duty changed circumstances review of non-malleable cast iron pipe fittings from China (A-570-875), in response to a request by Ford Motor Co. that the ITA revoke, in part, the AD order with respect to a particular brake fluid tube connector. The connector is a “joint block” for brake fluid tubes and is made of non-malleable cast iron to Society of Automotive Engineers (SEA) automotive standard J431. The ITA said the domestic industry has affirmatively expressed a lack of interest in the continuation of the order with respect to this product. Therefore, The ITA intends to revoke, in part, the AD order as it relates to imports of the connector described above from China.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued a final rule, effective May 16, 2012, amending the regulations governing the importation of clementines from Spain by removing from the regulations the number of clementines per consignment intended for export to the U.S. that are required to be sampled by APHIS inspectors. In place of this number, the regulations will say that inspectors will cut and inspect a sample of clementines determined by APHIS.
The APEC Conference on Innovation and Trade was held in Singapore from April 4 to 5 under the leadership of Japan, reports Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. At this conference, participants, including government officials, entrepreneurs, investors, large companies and researchers, discussed, among other things, roles of the governments, business environments, social infrastructures, such as information and communications technology (ICT), human resource development (entrepreneur education), and advancing a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP). These results will be reported to the leaders at the APEC Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Trade in June 2012 and other meetings.
The 15th round of negotiations for the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement (similar to a free trade agreement) will be in Canberra, Australia, April 23-27, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said. Among the issues that will be discussed are trade in goods and services, investment, rules of origin, and food supply.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is requesting comments by June 15, 2012, on its risk analysis and draft phytosanitary measures for the importation into the continental U.S. of fresh strawberry fruit from Egypt, which is currently not allowed. After reviewing the comments, if the overall conclusions of the risk analysis and the Administrator’s determination of risk remain unchanged, APHIS will authorize the importation of fresh strawberry fruit from Egypt into the continental U.S. subject to the requirements specified in the risk management document.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is seeking comments by June 15, 2012, on a proposed rule that would amend the regulations concerning the importation of fruits and vegetables to allow the importation of fresh bananas from the Philippines into the continental U.S.