U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman is set to participate in the Trans-Pacific Partnership ministerial in Maui from July 27-31, the Office of the USTR said in its weekly schedule. Froman joins high-ranking USTR officials already present at the talks. Both Acting Deputy USTR Wendy Cutler and Chief Agriculture Negotiator Darci Vetter have spent the past several days in Maui for chief negotiator meetings (see 1507200021). The agency declined to comment on progress so far during the summit. USTR officials haven’t yet vowed a conclusion of negotiations in Maui despite hopes from trade supporters that this summit will be the final TPP ministerial. Meanwhile, USTR will partake in the 8th round of World Trade Organization Environmental Goods Agreement negotiations in Geneva from July 27-31. During the week, Deputy USTR Robert Holleyman will also deliver speeches to IBM and the Select USA in Washington.

U.S. industry is burdened by import licensing delays when shipping goods to the Dominican Republic, said U.S. Ambassador to the World Trade Organization Michael Punke in July 22 remarks at the country’s WTO trade policy review. The Dominican Republic also administers an agriculture “no-objection” permitting process that may not reflect genuine sanitary and phytosanitary concerns and “may be influenced by economic considerations,” he said (here). Punke also criticized intellectual property challenges in the Dominican Republic, such as delays in patent reviews and pharmaceutical marketing approvals, as well as pervasive counterfeit goods.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative scheduled only a few public events this week, as the agency prepares to send staff to Maui, Hawaii for the heavily-anticipated Trans-Pacific Partnership ministerial summit. USTR Michael Froman and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker will summit with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on July 20 in Washington and U.S. chief agriculture negotiator Darci Vetter will speak to the National Pork Producers Council on the same day, USTR said in its weekly schedule. Vetter will then travel to Maui on July 22 to join the chief negotiators meeting, which lasts from July 24-27 (see 1507070064). The ministerial will begin the following day and wrap up on the July 31. Acting Deputy USTR Wendy Cutler will then travel to Maui on July 24, USTR said.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative launched an out-of-cycle review on South African eligibility in the African Growth and Opportunity Act. The agency is asking for stakeholder comments. A USTR subcommittee will convene a hearing on South African beneficiary status on Aug. 7, and those that want to attend the hearing must contact USTR by Aug. 5. All pre-hearing briefs, statements or comments are also due on that date. The deadline for post-hearing materials is Aug. 12.

The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced country-by-country allocations of fiscal year (FY) 2016 in-quota quantity of the tariff-rate quotas for imported raw cane sugar, refined sugar, specialty sugar and sugar-containing products (here). The TRQs are effective Oct. 1. The following allocations are the same as FY15 allocations (see 14090405) and are based on historical shipment statistics:

The U.S. will host a Trans-Pacific Partnership ministerial in Maui, Hawaii from July 28-31, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said on July 7. "We continue to work intensively to address specific issues bilaterally," said the statement (here). "The upcoming ministerial provides an important opportunity to build on this progress as we work to conclude the negotiation." The TPP chief negotiators will also meet in Maui from July 24-27.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman will meet with Vietnamese General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the head of Vietnam’s communist party and one of the highest-ranking officials in the country, in Washington on July 6, the Office of the USTR said in its weekly schedule (here). President Barack Obama will summit with Trong the following day at the White House. Vietnam is party to Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations.

CBP will publish a notice in July detailing Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) renewal and how importers can secure refunds, said the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) (here). "Importers should be advised that duties collected may take up to 90 days after liquidation or reliquidation of entries to process and refund retroactively," USTR said. The House passed retroactive GSP renewal legislation on June 25, requiring CBP to reimburse importers for tariffs on all goods traded in the interim since GSP expired in 2013 and President Obama signed the GSP renewal into law on June 29 (see 1506290045).

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is asking for public comments on the U.S. dispute over Indonesian imports restrictions on horticultural and animal products (here). The World Trade Organization established an adjudication panel in the dispute in late May, USTR said. New Zealand joined the U.S. in requesting the panel (see 1505120007). USTR initially asked for the panel more than a year ago (see 14050930). The U.S. is contesting restrictions on non-automatic import licensing and discriminatory pre-shipment inspection requirements, among other import barriers. Stakeholders are allowed to comment until July 31. Stakeholders are advised to submit comments through www.regulations.gov, docket number USTR-2014-0010.

Armenia formally joined the World Trade Organization Agreement on Government Procurement on June 6, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said (here). Changes in U.S. law for Armenia's accession will take effect June 26, USTR said. Forty-three countries, including those in the European Union, are now party to the revised procurement agreement. The pact aims to unlock more government procurement opportunities worldwide.