Two Japanese auto trade associations and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry launched a council to address coronavirus impacts on the country’s auto supply chain, according to an unofficial translation of a Feb. 20 ministry notice. The “New Coronavirus Countermeasures Automobile Council” will help Japanese industry and government share information on “anti-epidemic measures, supply chain and logistics” with “a view to ensuring that measures can be taken to prepare for the possible impact of the new coronavirus on the automotive supply chain in the future.”
China recently introduced plans to streamline imports of auto parts by allowing companies in eight cities to take “direct delivery” of the imports and arrange on-site inspections by customs officers at a later date, according to a Feb. 21 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The on-site inspections may also include “random checks,” the report said. The measure was introduced for Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Ningbo, and covers imports of certain seat belts, sunroofs, brakes and parts of tractors, brakes and parts of “large passenger vehicles” and “other parts and accessories of bodies (including cabs),” the report said.
While a small deal could be announced during President Donald Trump's trip early next week to India, senior White House officials say that will be purchase announcements, not a full or partial restoration of India to the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program. While they declined to go into specifics on what the sticking points have been in talks on improving market access, they noted that the complaints of U.S. exporters are well known.
The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new reporting requirements for six chemicals under significant new use rules. The proposed SNURs would require notification to EPA at least 90 days in advance of a new use by importers, manufacturers or processors. Importers of chemicals subject to these proposed SNURs would need to certify their compliance with the SNUR requirements should these proposed rules be finalized, EPA said. Exporters of these chemicals would become subject to export notification requirements. Comments on the proposed SNURs are due March 25.
The U.S. renewed sanctions against Libya under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, according to a Feb. 20 White House notice. The sanctions, first imposed Feb. 25, 2011, were renewed through Feb. 25, 2021, due to the continued threat to U.S. national security by the Libyan government, the notice said.
Rosneft criticized recent U.S. sanctions against its subsidiary (see 2002180033), saying the measures were illegal and it is considering “legal protection,” according to a Feb. 18 notice. The company said its subsidiary, Rosneft Trading S.A., has “been implementing its projects in Venezuela in strict compliance with rules of international and national laws.” Rosneft also said it was a “major investor” in Venezuela “long before” U.S. sanctions were introduced, and its contracts were signed before U.S. sanctions were imposed. It also said the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has “not provided any evidence” of Rosneft’s illegal activities. “The sanctions against RTSA are arbitrary and selective, as other international companies, including American ones, carry out similar activities in Venezuela, and the U.S. regulator does not claim them,” the company said.
The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls issued guidance for its December interim final rule that will revise the International Traffic in Arms Regulations to provide definitions for activities that are not exports, re-exports, retransfers or temporary imports (see 1912230052). The Feb. 20 “summary handout” previews changes to the rule, details implications for industry and summarizes which activities will not be considered controlled events. The rule will significantly reduce regulatory and compliance burdens surrounding encrypted data (see 1912300024).
The Commerce Department is “nowhere near” publishing an export control rule on foundational technologies and is likely not close to releasing its advance notice of proposed rulemaking, Squire Patton Boggs trade lawyer George Grammas said. Commerce management has had a draft of the ANPRM since at least mid-2019, Grammas said. “It doesn't seem to be going anywhere fast,” he said, speaking during a Feb. 20 webinar hosted by Content Enablers. “We don’t seem to be anywhere near seeing a rule on foundational technologies in the near term.”
The Bureau of Industry and Security revised the country groups for Russia and Yemen under the Export Administration Regulations (see 2001090040), BIS said in a notice. The changes increase license restrictions for both countries and are part of a larger effort within BIS that involves a “comprehensive review” of all country groups to better align with the administration's foreign policy concerns. All shipments now requiring a license as a result of this rule that were on dock for loading or aboard a carrier to a port as of Feb. 24 may proceed to their destinations under the previous eligibility, BIS said. Shipments that have not been exported, re-exported or transferred by March 25 will require a license.
The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of Feb. 21 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):