Bahrain continues to work toward acceptance of carnets, said the U.S. Council for International Business (USCIB). Countries that participate in the ATA Carnets passport system waive customs duties and taxes on various goods brought into a country temporarily. "Bahrain ratified the international convention governing temporary admission of goods last year and has been working with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce to understand and work toward implementing the system," said the USCIB, which administers the Carnet System in the U.S.
The FedEx International Direct Priority Ocean (IDPO) freight forwarding service has expanded to include India origins for less than container load (LCL) and full container load (FCL) shipments to New York and New Jersey, FedEx said. The added origins include Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai/Nhava Sheva, representing “the first-ever IDPO offerings in the country for FedEx Trade Networks and the reach of the specialized ocean service.” The origins will also provide customers who export to and from the U.S. with more ocean freight forwarding options.
The economic gains generated through the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will be nominal but will contribute to growing wealth inequality in the U.S., Center for Economic and Policy Research analyst David Rosnick argued in a September-released study. The U.S. may only see cumulative Gross Domestic Product (GDP) gains of 0.13 percent by 2025 should the TPP be implemented, said Rosnick, citing other research. “Most workers are likely to lose—the exceptions being some of the bottom quarter or so whose earnings are determined by the minimum wage; and those with the highest wages who are more protected from international competition,” said Rosnick. “Rather, many top incomes will rise as a result of TPP expansion of the terms and enforcement of copyrights and patents.” U.S. trade officials continue to eye a TPP negotiation conclusion by the end of 2013 (see 13091118).
Veresen Inc. said it filed an application with Canada's National Energy Board for a long-term license to export natural gas from Canada to the U.S. The exported natural gas would go to Veresen's proposed Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas export project in Coos Bay, Ore., it said. The application proposes an export volume of 1.55 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) for 25 years. The natural gas from western Canadian would travel via existing pipeline and gas gathering networks to the Malin trading hub located in southern Oregon, then via the proposed Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline to the Jordan Cove liquefaction terminal, it said.
A "strategic partnership designed to enhance the voice of independent footwear retailers" in Washington was announced Sept. 10 by the National Shoe Retailers Association and the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America. In the agreement, FDRA will become the main advocacy arm for NSRA members and the more than 8,000 independent footwear retailers nationwide, they said.
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. cleared the Shuanghui International purchase of Smithfield Foods, the companies said Sept. 6. The companies also gained approval from the Ukraine, the press release said. The deal will next face a vote by Smithfield shareholders on Sept. 24, with the transaction expected to close soon after, the companies said. Senate Finance Committee members previously voiced some concern with the deal over Chinese pork import restrictions (see 13062402).
The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety released draft standards for discussion at a Sept. 7 International Labour Organization (ILO) meeting, the Alliance said in a statement. The Alliance shared the standards with the ILO, Accord, and the Bangladeshi Ministry of Labour and Employment prior to the meeting, in hopes of accelerating the process “to identify a common, shared set of standards” that will ultimately improve safety in Bangladeshi garment factories. it said. The drafts focus exclusively “on the technical aspects of fire and building safety” and were developed with a commitment to align with the Bangladesh National Building Code,” the Alliance said. The issue has gained attention following the April 24 factory fire there (see 13062820).
UPS will buy assets and operations of two Costa Rican companies, Union Pak de Costa Rica and SEISA brokerage, an acquisition that will help “better connect Costa Rica’s expanding economy to regional and world markets” through the UPS market. UPS said they will now be “better positioned” to provide Costa Rican shippers with “one source for small package, freight forwarding, brokerage, and contract logistics, with a stronger link to UPS’s global transportation network.” The additions will also provide access to multi-modal services, which will improve shipping capabilities across borders and boost export trade lanes from Latin America to the U.S. UPS said they expect to complete the transactions in the fourth quarter of 2013.
Indonesia will announce acceptance of “merchandise passports,” also known as carnets, during the December’s World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference in Bali, a move that should boost U.S. trade with the country, said the U.S. Council for International Business. "Indonesia aims to begin accepting ATA Carnets in early 2014," said the USCIB. The 73 countries that participate in the ATA Carnets passport system waive customs duties and taxes on various goods brought into a country temporarily.
The most recent round of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations included fewer opportunities for stakeholder input than previous rounds, said Knowledge Ecology International in a blog post (here). Previous rounds included a briefing and question-and-answer session with chief negotiators, while this round only made negotiators available during a "dialogue," the post said. "It's not a great process and even if you know who all the chiefs are, if you want to know the position of a country on a particular issue, you have to hunt down every chief individually and repeat your concerns and follow it up with your question." The time for stakeholder presentations was shortened to seven minutes, KEI wrote. "In 7 minutes it is difficult to say anything of substance or present much analysis." The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative didn't comment.