China’s trade sector continues to struggle amid the COVID-19 pandemic despite certain logistics sectors returning to normal (see 2003170043), China’s Ministry of Commerce said May 7. “Although the decline in foreign trade data narrowed in April, the development of foreign trade still faces greater downward pressure,” a ministry spokesperson said during a press conference, according to an unofficial translation of a transcript. The spokesperson called China’s trade atmosphere “very grim and complicated.”
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued several “administrative updates” to certain Specially Designated Nationals List records, according to a May 7 notice. The updates “reclassified certain aliases as weak.” The notice contains the unique identification numbers (UIDs) for each of the affected SDN entries.
Republican lawmakers urged the Commerce Department to be more transparent when imposing export restrictions on critical U.S. industries, saying they are concerned that Commerce did not consult with industry before imposing significant export regulations last week. In a May 6 letter, six senators asked President Donald Trump to more closely follow congressional intent as described in the 2018 Export Control Reform Act, which lists a preference for a public comment period and multilateral export controls over unilateral decisions.
If countries place trade restrictions on food supplies similar to those on medical goods, the global supply chain could see significant agricultural shortages within months, trade experts said during a Washington International Trade Association webinar. But even without export controls on food, restrictions on movement and other COVID-19-related controls are already beginning to impact the flow of food goods, the experts said.
Canada, Mexico, China, the United Kingdom, Japan and an assortment of other countries around the world said the World Trade Organization has an essential role to play in ensuring the continued flow of essential goods -- including medical supplies -- across borders. “We stress that trade restrictive emergency measures aimed at protecting health, if deemed necessary, shall be targeted, proportionate, transparent and temporary, not create unnecessary barriers to trade or disruption to global supply chains, and be consistent with WTO rules. We pledge to lift any such measures as soon as possible,” the statement said. “We also stress the necessity of maintaining agriculture supply chains and preserving Members' food security. We, therefore, pledge to not impose export restrictions and to refrain from implementing unjustified trade barriers on agricultural and food products in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.” No country in the European Union signed the statement, issued May 5, nor did the U.S.
Singapore Customs amended the list of chemicals in its Chemical Weapons Act, according to a May 6 notice, Companies seeking to “carry out controlled activities” involving the newly restricted chemicals must obtain a Chemical Weapons Convention license, Singapore said. The notice includes a list of added chemicals and their Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) registry numbers.
India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade announced export restrictions on alcohol-based hand sanitizers, according to a May 6 notice. The measure restricts “only” alcohol-based sanitizers that fall under four Harmonized System codes referenced in the notice, adding that all other items under those HS codes are “freely exportable.” India previously restricted exports of certain types of sanitizer (see 2003240045).
India will temporarily accept scanned copies of pre-shipment inspection certificates for customs clearances instead of physical copies, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a May 6 notice from the country’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade. The measure, which will last through June 30, was introduced because “importers have been finding it difficult to submit the original copy” due to the “lock down,” the directorate said. Although importers can submit a scanned version of the document, they must submit a physical copy within 60 days of the goods clearing customs and submit a declaration certifying that the document contains correct information.
The U.S. government appealed a March court decision that blocked the Trump administration from transferring oversight of 3D printing of firearms from the State Department to the Commerce Department (see 2003090029). The appeal, filed May 5, aims to lift the temporary injunction, which the administration has said is based on a misunderstanding of export regulations (see 2002270014).
More than 25 lawmakers asked the Trump administration to confirm that it is not stopping humanitarian trade with Cuba amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In a May 5 letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the lawmakers, led by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said public health “must take precedence” over trade restrictions. The lawmakers referenced reports (see 2005040019 and 2004080024) that foreign companies have been unable to deliver aid to Cuba “due to burdensome regulatory and reporting requirements” and “fear of prosecution” by the U.S. “This is dangerous and contrary to our longstanding tradition of not politicizing the delivery of humanitarian aid,” the letter said.