The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of April 27 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):

The World Customs Organization issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:​​

Dubai Customs will allow a 1% customs duty refund on goods that meet certain conditions, according to an April 27 post from KPMG. The goods must already be subject to a 5% customs duty, must be imported into the United Arab Emirates through Dubai Customs and must have no outstanding customs duty payments, KPMG said. The goods must also be imported for resale domestically and their import declarations must be processed March 15 through June 30. KPMG said Dubai will only disburse refunds of 100 dirham value or more.

Turkey recently announced several changes to its certificate of origin submissions to customs, according to an April 27 post from KPMG. The country introduced a “cash guarantee application” in its certificate of origin rules, which can be submitted to the country’s customs authority after importation, the post said. The country also announced a process for refunds if the certificate of origin is submitted to the customs authority within six months “from the date of registration of the declaration,” the post said. Turkey may also request a trader’s certificate of origin if the goods are “subject to more than one trade policy measure, additional customs duties ... or when different rates are determined.” If the certificate cannot be submitted, the goods will incur a higher customs duty.

Bahrain recently introduced an online customs clearance and payments service, eliminating the need for traders to present customs declaration forms and pay duties in person at ports of entry, according to an April 27 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The service will allow “any entity in Bahrain” to process online payments for any outstanding fee, the report said. But the country’s customs stressed that traders must still keep original customs statements and other documents, which may be subject to inspection at a later date.

China announced it will temporarily waive interest on deferred payments for “processing trade goods sold domestically” between April 15 and Dec. 31, according to an April 27 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The measure is aimed at supporting the “development of processing trade” and to ease pressure on foreign trading.

The State Department asked for comments on an information collection related to requests to change end-user, end-use or destination of hardware information for exports, according to a notice. The requests, using Form DS-6004, are submitted to the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls before the sale is made. The Office of Management and Budget requested “emergency review and approval” of the collection, the State Department said, adding that comments “must be received” by April 29.

The Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference (RevCon), which was expected to include a discussion on export controls on weapons proliferation (see 2003030058), was postponed due to the measures involved in battling the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an April 27 notice from the State Department. The agency said it supports the decision to postpone the conference and will “work constructively with other NPT Parties to maintain and strengthen the Treaty, including at the RevCon when conditions allow it to be held.”

Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., said that many of his colleagues think “that we can pull back and do everything ourselves,” and that he thinks they may look at the shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic response as evidence that reshoring is the way to go. “You will see more capacity building in the United States, and that makes sense; the idea we can do it all ourselves is pure folly.” Schneider, who was speaking on a webinar hosted by the Washington International Trade Association on April 28, also thinks there needs to be redundancy in supply chains, and more warehousing and less “just-in-time” delivery.

Mexico and the European Union have reached agreement on a new trade deal, they said April 28. The new deal, which will replace an existing free trade agreement between the countries that took effect in 2000, will eliminate more tariffs on trade between Mexico and the 27 EU member states, and include provisions on “simpler customs procedures,” the EU said in a press release.