The government of Canada recently issued the following trade-related notices as of April 8th (note that some may also be given separate headlines):

The Confederation of Mexican Customs Broker Associations (CAAAREM) issued a circular to its members April 2 clarifying entry documentation for goods withdrawn for consumption from Recintos Fiscalizados Estrategicos (free trade zones) that are not adjacent to Mexican customs, according to a blog post from Mexican law firm Consorcio Juridico Aduanero. Responding to CAAAREM’s request for a legal opinion, Mexican customs told the broker group that two “pedimento” entries must be submitted for such goods, both with code “G9,” one for withdrawal from the FTZ and the other for entry for consumption. The ruling is E/800/02/00/00/00/19-3818-2-87, dated March 29, CAAAREM said.

Australia will adopt the World Trade Organization’s Government Procurement Agreement, becoming the 48th WTO member to do so, according to a WTO notice. The GPA aims to “mutually open government procurement markets among its parties,” requiring “transparent conditions of competition be stored in government procurement.” Australia will officially be party to the GPA on May 5.

China is lowering tax rates on certain imported goods, hoping to boost imports and domestic consumption, according to a notice from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and a report from state-run news agency Xinhua. The change will take effect April 9, the notice said. China will reduce the tax rate of some goods -- such as books, computers, food, furniture and medicine -- from 15 percent to 13 percent, the report said. China will also reduce the rates on products that include sporting goods, textiles, electronic appliances and bicycles from 25 percent to 20 percent. The report also said that certain medicinal imports that are subject to the 3 percent import value-added tax rate, including “anti-cancer drugs and medicines for rare diseases,” will “enjoy [a] favorable tax rate.”

President Donald Trump bemoaned what he said are unfair trade practices levied against the U.S. by “many countries,” singling out and criticizing India while referring to its trade practices as “stupid trade.” Trump, speaking at a Republican Jewish Coalition Leadership meeting on April 6 in Las Vegas, accused India of imposing 100 percent tariffs on imports from the U.S. “Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi is charging us over 100 percent for many things,” Trump said. “We’re charging them nothing for similar or the same products, and I have senators who say you can’t do that. It’s not free trade ... it's stupid trade.” India has repeatedly delayed retaliatory tariffs on goods imported from the U.S. -- with the most recent delay coming April 1 (see 1904010010) -- in response to U.S.’s Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs. During the rally, Trump also advocated for additional unspecified tariffs while accusing several unnamed countries of “charging us 200 and 250 and 300 percent” tariffs. “And we charge them nothing,” he said. “It’s OK to charge them something.”

The U.S. designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, marking the first time the U.S. has labeled a government an FTO, according to an April 8 White House notice. The designation is designed to increase financial pressure on Iran and isolate it from military resources, which the notice said are used for “terrorist activities.” The designation will take effect April 15, according to a statement made at a State Department briefing April 8 by Assistant Secretary of State for Counterterrorism Nathan Sales: "With the announcement today, which will take effect a week from now, the legal status of the IRGC will change from an organization to a designated foreign terrorist organization."

The European Union updated its Market Access Database to include “detailed information on rules adopted” by the United Kingdom “that would apply on UK imports from the EU in the event of a no-deal Brexit,” it said in an April 8 press release. “This is a part of the Commission’s efforts to help industry be prepared in case the United Kingdom leaves the European Union without a negotiated deal,” the release said.

The Trump administration is expected to complete a review of the current scope of U.S. export controls on countries subject to arms embargoes, including China, and may make potential regulatory changes by May 10, according to an April 5 blog post from Steptoe & Johnson. The administration’s review stems from a section of the 2018 Export Control Reform Act, which requires a “review relating to countries subject to comprehensive United States arms embargo.” The act specifically requires the Commerce, State and Defense departments, among others, to review export controls on trades with “military end uses and military end users,” according to the post.

The Federal Maritime Commission released a notice of the filing of the following agreements under the Shipping Act of 1984. Interested parties may submit comments on the agreement by email to Secretary@fmc.gov, or by mail to the Secretary, Federal Maritime Commission, Washington, DC 20573, within 12 days of publication in the Federal Register.

The World Customs Organization issued the following release on commercial trade and related matters:​​