The United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade updated its guidance on trade sanctions related to Syria, according to a March 9 notice. The change updates the guidance’s section on crude oil and petroleum products.
The United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade issued a March 9 guidance for businesses impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. The guidance provides information on how DIT is providing “supply chain disruption support” and other support for businesses that export to China.
The annual report on Russia's compliance with World Trade Organization standards echoed much of last year's report (see 1902050029). The U.S. exported $6.7 billion in goods to Russia in 2018, with aircraft, machinery and vehicles as the most common exports. That is nearly 29% less than was exported 10 years ago. It has complied with its tariff commitments, but has numerous non-tariff barriers, the U.S. Trade Representative's report said.
The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of March 9 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):
Cambodia recently issued guidance about its online portal for registering investment projects, including information for import clearances, according to a March 5 KPMG post. The guidance provides information on the launch of “master list” applications in the portal and clarified that the portal will “facilitate the clearance of imports of construction materials, production machinery and equipment, spare parts, and raw materials” used for certain investment projects, KPMG said.
In an annual report about China's compliance with its World Trade Organization commitments, the U.S. trade representative repeated complaints from last year's report (see 1902050024) about how U.S. imports are treated by Chinese customs authorities.
A former senior executive of a French power and transportation company was sentenced to 15 months in prison for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Justice Department said March 6. Lawrence Hoskins of Alstom S.A. was sentenced on money-laundering charges after he worked to bribe Indonesian officials in exchange for a $118 million power-services contract. Hoskins and others paid “consultants” hundreds of thousands of dollars to bribe Indonesian officials. The Justice Department charged three former executives -- including two former Alstom employees -- with FCPA violations relating to the same case (see 2002190027).
After a dinner in Florida attended by President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Jair Bolsanaro, the two issued a joint statement March 7 on how they would like to reach “a bilateral trade package this year.” Because Brazil is in Mercosur, a South American customs union, tariffs are unlikely to be part of such a deal. They also discussed expediting Brazil's participation in the Trusted Trader program, “to streamline commerce between both countries by ensuring the security and safety of imported goods, with a goal of program entry in 2021.”
The U.S. is continuing sanctions against Venezuela, the White House said in a March 5 notice. The White House said Venezuela continues to threaten U.S. national security, and the sanctions will continue beyond the expiration date of March 8.
The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control is removing the Terrorism Sanctions Regulations from the Code of Federal Regulations, OFAC said in a notice. The change was made due to the “termination of the national emergency on which the regulations were based.” The change will not affect any action taken or any action pending and not “finally concluded” as of 12:01 a.m. on Sept. 10, 2019, the notice said. The change is effective March 10.