The Canada Border Services Agency is again postponing the sunset date for legacy release options as part of the Single Window Initiative and Integrated Import Declaration transition, the agency said in a March 24 customs notice. “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CBSA will be postponing the decommissioning of the legacy [other government departments] release service options until a date later to be determined,” it said. “Clients that have on-boarded to the SWI IID (SO911) but continue to use the legacy OGD release service options (SO463 and SO471) may experience delays in the processing of their shipment. As such, clients that have completed the on-boarding process are encouraged to utilize the SWI IID (SO911) for all OGD release requests.”
India blocked exports of hydroxychloroquine and “formulations made from hydroxychloroquine,” according to a March 25 notice from the country’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade. Researchers are studying the drug as a possible medication for treating COVID-19, according to a March 24 Reuters report. India also banned exports of ventilators and sanitizers (see 2003240045).
The South Korean food market has been “seriously hit” by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and some importers have reported a “large drop” in sales, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report released March 23. The USDA said the “strong” U.S. dollar is making imports in South Korea more expensive, and air and sea freight costs are “trending higher as supply chains face disruption.” Although importers are facing challenges, trade has not been “significantly disrupted,” the report said, partly due to South Korea’s swift response to the virus.
The Senate Finance Committee chairman, joined by 11 other Senate Republicans, is asking President Donald Trump to consider a total moratorium on new or raised tariffs, as well as examining how tariffs and import and export restrictions specific to medical supplies can be tackled. They praised the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative for excluding some medical supplies from Section 301 tariffs since the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic spread to the U.S., but said a wider review should be done to make sure none remain. And they encouraged him to coordinate with other countries that have imposed export restrictions in response to COVID-19, so that there aren't cost increases and “critical supply shortages.”
The United Nations Security Council removed Ibrahim Mohamed Khalil from its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida Sanctions list, according to a March 24 press release. The UNSC said it made the decision after receiving a delisting request. Khalil is no longer subject to an asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo.
The European Union renewed sanctions against Bosnia and Herzegovina for one year, according to a March 24 notice. The sanctions now expire March 31, 2021.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control made “minor technical amendments” to two Nicaragua-related general licenses, according to a March 25 notice. OFAC issued amended General License No. 1A, which authorizes certain transactions with Nicaragua by the U.S. government, and General License No. 2A, which authorizes the wind down of certain transactions involving the Nicaraguan National Police.
Global sectoral sanctions should be suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic to ease pressures on health sectors in heavily sanctioned countries, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said March 24. Sanctions will impede medical efforts in countries subject to strict sanctions, such as Iran, Bachelet said, where almost any transaction or export is heavily scrutinized. Humanitarian exemptions should “be given broad and practical effect, with prompt, flexible authorization for essential medical equipment and supplies,” she said in a statement. Bachelet said sanctions should also be suspended on Cuba, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.
A Georgia congressman wrote to the secretary of state, asking for a temporary export ban on medical supplies needed for coronavirus COVID-19 response. Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., said on March 24 that the Northeast Georgia Health System tried to order high-speed testing equipment, and the U.S. company producing it said it is not taking orders from new customers because it has a surge in orders from Europe.
Countries will more strictly review transactions involving foreign direct investment as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, especially the U.S., which could increase scrutiny and export controls in the biotechnology sector, trade lawyers said. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. may increase reviews of transactions involving health care technology to keep critical virus-fighting resources in the U.S., said Aimen Mir, a trade lawyer with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. Mir, who also formerly served as the Treasury Department’s deputy assistant secretary for investment security, said the pandemic will also cause CFIUS and other agencies to increasingly look to prevent transfers of pathogen-related technologies and to maintain technology leadership in the biotechnology sector.