President Donald Trump is extending sanctions on the government of Sudan beyond their former deadline of Oct. 12, 2017, the White House said in a notice. Trump postponed the scheduled termination of the measures earlier this year (see 1710100014 and 1707120008). Sanctions blocking the property of the government of Sudan and generally banning U.S. individuals from engaging in transactions with Sudan and the government of Sudan are now appearing to continue indefinitely, as Trump didn’t identify a termination date in either the notice or a letter from him to Congress formally communicating the extension.

President Donald Trump intends to nominate Jeffrey Kessler to be assistant secretary of commerce for enforcement and compliance, the White House announced Oct. 31. As chief of the International Trade Administration’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance, Kessler would oversee enforcement of antidumping and countervailing duties and help ensure foreign compliance with trade agreements. The office also administers the foreign-trade zones program, and a range of sector-specific programs, including the Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis monitoring program and the Enhanced Global Steel Trade Monitor. Kessler is a lawyer in the international trade group at Wilmer Cutler.

After President Donald Trump arrives in Beijing Nov. 8, he and other U.S. officials intend to send a “clear message” that China “must provide fair and reciprocal treatment” to U.S. firms and stop predatory trade and investment practices, in order for bilateral economic relations to be sustained well into the future, a senior administration official said Oct. 31, during a background briefing on Trump’s upcoming Asia trip. Securing China’s progress on several bilateral economic issues has become more difficult, apparently reflecting a “slowdown and even a retreat” with regard to China’s transition to a market economy, according to another administration official.

President Donald Trump extended a national emergency, initially declared in 2006 through Executive Order 13413, that provides the Treasury Department authority to sanction a wide range of individuals involved in ongoing turmoil in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The emergency will remain active through Oct. 27, 2018, a notice in the Federal Register said. Executive Order 13413 cast a wide net over individuals in the DRC responsible for a number of atrocities, targeting in particular foreign individuals and groups operating in the DRC. The order gave Treasury the right to block the transfer of funds associated with sanctioned individuals or groups that are in the U.S., or in control of a U.S. person, or will be in the future.

The U.S.’s “consistent trade surplus” with Singapore was highlighted in a joint statement after Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong visited the White House on Oct. 24. Loong and President Donald Trump noted “the important role” the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement has had in “strengthening the robust economic relations” between the two countries, including trade expansion. “Bilateral trade has almost doubled from pre-FTA levels to reach more than $68 billion in 2016, with a consistent trade surplus for the United States,” the statement says. Both sides also welcomed Singaporean efforts in “strategic trade control initiatives,” including its “trial” of the World Customs Organization’s Cargo Targeting System to strengthen global supply chain security, the statement says. The U.S. and Singapore also “decided to consider exploring new areas of cooperation to prevent the global transportation sector from being abused by proliferators.” Finally, the leaders agreed that the “strong commercial relationship” between their nations was demonstrated by the signing for a Singapore Airlines purchase of 39 Boeing wide-body aircraft valued at $13.8 billion, the statement says.

The U.S. is extending a national emergency on narcotics trafficking from Colombia until Oct. 21, 2018, President Donald Trump said in an Oct. 16 memo. “The actions of significant narcotics traffickers centered in Colombia continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States and to cause an extreme level of violence, corruption, and harm in the United States and abroad,” Trump said.

President Donald Trump officially sent the nomination of Kirstjen Nielsen to be secretary of homeland security to the Senate Oct. 16, the White House announced.

U.S. and Japanese officials on Oct. 16 made “some initial progress” on lifting restrictions on U.S. imports of Japanese persimmons and on Japanese imports of Idaho potatoes, among other trade issues addressed during the second round of the U.S.-Japan Economic Dialogue in Washington, which started when Vice President Mike Pence visited Japan in April (see 1704140023). In a statement, the White House said Japan “committed to ensure meaningful transparency and fairness” for its geographical indications (GI) system, and in accordance with its domestic law and procedures, including those GIs that are protected through international agreements.

Speaking alongside Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the White House ahead of a bilateral meeting Oct. 11, President Donald Trump said he believes the NAFTA renegotiation will “work out very well for both countries and Mexico,” after threatening several times to withdraw from the pact. Trump also said termination would be “fine,” and noted the potential for either successful or failed negotiations. “It's possible we won't be able to make a deal, and it's possible that we will,” Trump said. “We'll see what happens with NAFTA, but I've been opposed to NAFTA for a long time. In terms of the fairness of NAFTA, I said we'll renegotiate. And I think Justin understands this: If we can't make a deal, it'll be terminated and that will be fine.” Trump also added that NAFTA was set to be a “big factor” during his meeting with Trudeau, and that the U.S. would seek bilateral deals with Canada and Mexico if trilateral negotiations break down.

Kirstjen Nielsen, currently deputy White House chief of staff, will likely be nominated for Homeland Security secretary, according to a report in The Washington Post on Oct. 11. The White House didn't immediately comment.