Singapore Customs’ TradeNet will undergo system maintenance from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time on May 3, and 4 a.m. to noon on May 17 and May 31, Singapore said in an April 17 notice. The agency is advising users to avoid submitting applications during this time. This is in addition to usual maintenance on Sundays from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m.

Indonesia introduced guidance for its tax and customs relief measures during the COVID-19 pandemic response, KPMG said in an April 15 post. The guidance clarified that overseas sellers and e-commerce operators must appoint an Indonesia-based representative who is responsible for paying and reporting taxes related to those transactions, KPMG said. In addition, value-added taxes on imports of “intangible goods and taxable services” must be collected by “foreign sellers, foreign service providers, and/or foreign or local e-commerce platforms.”

The U.S. has asked China to amend its increased export control inspections that are causing delays of medical supply shipments (see 2004160035, 2004150034 and 2004130014), according to a State Department spokesperson. “We appreciate the efforts to ensure quality control. But we do not want this to serve as an obstacle for the timely export of important supplies,” the spokesperson said in an April 17 statement. The spokesperson added that the U.S. has “raised these concerns” with China and requested that it “revise its new requirements to allow the expeditious export of vital [personal protective equipment] to the United States.” The U.S. is working “closely” with U.S. companies exporting medical supplies from China to help them “understand the new regulations and raise concerns about held-up shipments,” the spokesperson said. The request was first reported by Reuters.

The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation corrected several entries in its Iran (human rights) sanctions regime, according to an April 17 notice. The notice corrected entries for Mohammad Hosseini, Ali Ashraf Rashidi Aghdam, Hossein Taeb and the Iranian Cyber Police. All four entries are still subject to an asset freeze.

Governments should suspend certain licensing requirements, expedite customs clearances and provide relief from customs penalties during the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Customs Organization's Private Sector Consultative Group said in comments released April 16. Such measures should be adopted by countries across the globe to provide relief for the struggling trade community and to help trade continue to flow, the PSCG said.

Despite calls from industry and lawmakers, the Treasury Department does not plan to introduce new authorizations for humanitarian exports to Iran, said Andrea Gacki, director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control. Gacki said OFAC’s current general licenses are sufficient, adding that the agency has not received many license applications to export medical goods that are not already covered by an existing exemption.

CBP posted interim implementation instructions for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement to provide "guidance with respect to preferential tariff claims under the USMCA," it said. The document covers many of the USMCA provisions, including making preference claims, rules of origin for automotive goods and country of origin marking rules. "The procedures outlined in this memorandum are in place pending the issuance of the applicable regulations," CBP said.

Ana Hinojosa, who previously served as a World Customs Organization director, is the “newly appointed Executive Director for the Trade Remedy Law Enforcement Directorate” at CBP, according to a Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee document.

Valarie Neuhart was named the deputy executive director of the Office of Trade Relations, Acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan said during the April 15 Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) meeting. Neuhart will continue to be the acting executive director in OTR, he said.

Travis Skinner, who was previously a senior counselor to the CBP commissioner, is now director of Trade Modernization, said John Leonard, CBP executive director-trade policy and programs, during the April 15 Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) meeting.