The Canada Border Services Agency updated the list of harmonized schedule codes subject to Canadian Food Inspection Agency requirements after “a thorough review,” the CBSA said in a Jan. 8 email. “Of particular note, HS codes for many goods that have ‘conditions of import’ specified in [the Automated Import Reference System (AIRS)] have been added to the list and some HS codes for which there are ‘no CFIA requirements’ have been removed,” it said. The changes took effect Jan. 1.
China’s Commerce Ministry recently issued a circular containing 30 policies aiming to improve the trade environment in the Hainan pilot free trade zone, according to a Jan. 8 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The policies will support “construction of ports importing drugs and biological products for the first time,” HKTDC said. They will also improve the shipping sector by allowing foreign ships to be “chartered for temporary transportation under specific conditions,” permitting “international ship management companies to engage in seafarer assignment service,” the report said.
Japanese Export Restrictions on South Korea Have 'Negligible' Impact, State Department Official Says
Japan’s export restrictions on South Korea have had a minimal impact on the South Korean industry, a State Department official said during a Jan. 7 press conference. The official said that both Japan and South Korea are participating in “ongoing discussions” about the trade dispute (see 1912160011). “As far as I can tell, the impact, if any, on the South Korean industry has been limited to negligible,” the official said. Japan recently eased export controls against South Korea for one of the three chemicals it had imposed restrictions on, according to a December report from the Associated Press.
The Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department recently announced new X-ray screening measures for air cargo moving through Hong Kong, according to a Jan. 2 post from Mohawk Global Logistics. The requirements will be implemented in four phases, the post said, with the final phase expected to be completed by July 2021. The first phase, implemented Jan. 1, requires 25 percent of air cargo by weight to go through security screening, the post said. Hong Kong will gradually increase the screening percentage through June 2021. Shippers will be charged a “screening cost” based on the shipment’s incoterms rule, the post said.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said he's been told it's going to take three or four days for six other Senate committees to clear the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement so that it can go to the floor for a vote. Whether it can come up the week of Jan. 21 will depend on whether the articles of impeachment have arrived by then, he noted.
The panel deciding which French products should face Section 301 tariffs was intrigued by a point made by the Cheese Importers Association of America -- who could pay more on 21 Harmonized Tariff Schedule headings if all the proposed tariffs are included.
The United Kingdom's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation amended five entries under the European Union’s Mali sanctions regime, according to a Jan. 8 notice. The notice amends entries that were added to the list by the United Nations Security Council on Dec. 19 and by the U.K. on Dec. 20, the notice said.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Taban Deng Gai, the first vice president of South Sudan, for human rights violations, Treasury said Jan. 8. Gai was involved in silencing human rights lawyers and advocates to solidify his position within the government, Treasury said.
The U.S. will impose further sanctions against Iran in response to its recent missile attacks on a U.S. military base in Iraq, President Donald Trump said Jan. 8. Trump called the measures “punishing economic sanctions,” which will “remain until Iran changes its behavior,” including abandoning its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Details of the sanctions were not immediately released.
The United Kingdom officially updated its list of dual-use items subject to export controls (see 1912310021), the Department for International Trade said in a Jan. 8 notice. The DIT said it will soon update and republish any affected open general export licenses. The amended list of export controlled items was the result of agreements recently made by international export regimes. All items on the list require an export license by the U.K.'s Export Control Joint Unit.