The U.S. should lobby for increased export controls and more stringent sanctions regimes relating to weapons proliferation at the upcoming Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference, arms control experts said during a March 3 House hearing. While it may be difficult for all treaty members to sign off on a broad consensus document relating to non-proliferation, the U.S. should use the spring conference in New York to seek common ground on controls of items used to produce dangerous weapons.
The American Apparel and Footwear Association published the 21st edition of its Restricted Substance List, which provides information on regulations and laws that restrict or ban certain chemicals and substances in finished home textile, apparel and footwear products around the world. The AAFA released the last list in February 2019. The list “serves as a practical tool to help individuals in textile, apparel and footwear companies, and their suppliers -- responsible for environmental compliance throughout the supply chain -- to become more aware of various national and international regulations governing the amount of substances that are permitted in finished home textile, apparel, and footwear products,” the AAFA said.
Ethiopia recently approved a new law that encourages foreign direct investment, seeking to “open” more of its sectors unless “specifically forbidden” on a negative list, according to a Feb. 21 post from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The changes aim to promote foreign investment in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors while encouraging investment in “emerging industries,” the report said. The change comes as several countries are amending their foreign investment review regimes, including the U.S. (see 2001140060), which is pushing for more stringent global controls on investment (see 2002260042).
The United Kingdom will need about 50,000 more private sector agents to keep up with the increased volume of customs declarations as a result of Brexit, U.K. minister Michael Gove said in Parliament March 26, according to a report in the Financial Times. Gove was confirming an estimate from the U.K. Road Haulage Association, based on an additional 50 million declarations if the U.K. and European Union reach a deal similar to the Canada-EU Free Trade Agreement. “That admission means that private-sector customs agents -- staff trained to fill in customs forms and clear them with the authorities -- will become one of the big growth sectors in the British employment market in the next year,” the Financial Times reported.
Brazil and Paraguay signed an agreement in February that is expected to strengthen trade and customs cooperation, according to a Feb. 28 KPMG post. The deal calls for both countries to grant “free trade” treatment for certain auto products, the post said, and provides rules of origin for auto goods and “preferential access conditions.” The deal must still be ratified in both countries.
The Dominican Republic introduced a new method of calculating customs value when imports of goods are made under a distribution agreement or “between related companies,” according to a Feb. 28 KPMG post. The country’s customs authority will first evaluate information contained in the single customs declaration along with a tax return relating to payments made abroad, the post said. The import will be assessed by Dominican Customs “specifically to include the value of royalties with the cost, insurance, and freight of the merchandise.” The imported merchandise will then be revalued and taxes and customs tariffs are resettled, KPMG said.
A Singaporean man was fined more than $1.3 million (in Singapore dollars) for avoiding duties on nearly 200 imported vehicles, Singapore Customs said in a March 2 news release. Sunil Kishinchand Bhojwani, manager of Singapore-based T Kishen and Company, negotiated with foreign suppliers to “suppress the values” of the imported vehicles on invoices, the notice said, ultimately avoiding more than $300,000 in import taxes. He also recruited and paid three vehicle traders to submit declarations and apply for duty payment permits on his behalf to avoid detection, the notice said.
Singapore Customs announced improvements to its Trader Notification service, which will now include the total amount of duties payable for “in-payment permits” that traders can use to “verify against the amount of duty” they already paid, according to a March 2 circular. The service also notifies users of changes relating to permit numbers, names of declaring agents, approval dates and whether a permit is approved, canceled or amended.
An Ontario resident was arrested on smuggling charges after illegally importing two firearm suppressors, according to a Feb. 28 notice from the Canada Border Services Agency. Authorities discovered the package at a mail processing center in Toronto before referring the item for “further investigation” when it found the firearm parts. Authorities also searched an Ontario residence as part of the investigation, finding six long guns, four handguns and other illegal firearm parts.
The annual trade policy agenda report, put out by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, celebrated victories in export market access in 2019, even as it reported that goods exports fell by $21 billion compared with 2018. Manufacturing exports, which accounted for 83% of total goods exports, were down by $34.7 billion in 2019. Agricultural exports, which accounted for 9% of total goods exports, were down by $3 billion in 2019.