China signed a customs agreement with Seychelles and one with Ethiopia and discussed increasing trade with South Africa during a recent trip to the continent, China’s General Administration of Customs said in a Nov. 21 press release, according to an unofficial translation. China’s agreement with Seychelles includes a “protocol on inspection and quarantine” for marine products exported to China, which “greatly expands the export” of those products to China, the agency said. The two countries also agreed to measures related to anti-smuggling enforcement and measures to promote “trade relations.” China also met with South Africa’s trade minister and agriculture minister, where the two sides discussed plans to increase Chinese citrus and “cooked poultry meat” to South Africa and increase South African exports of beef, pears, avocados and dairy products.
The board of directors of the Export-Import Bank of the U.S. will hold a partially open meeting Dec. 16 at 2 p.m., according to a Nov. 29 notice. The meeting will be held in Room 1125 at 811 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C., and will be open to the public for the first agenda item only -- a small business update. To register for the meeting, contact Joyce Stone, Office of the General Counsel, at (202) 565-3336 by the end of business on Dec. 12.
The State Department has forwarded notifications of proposed export licenses to Congress as required by the Arms Export Control Act, the agency said in a Nov. 27 notice in the Federal Register. The notice includes details on the 91 notifications, sent from November 2018 until May 2019.
Although the U.S. trade representative found a way to avoid a congressional vote on a U.S.-Japan trade deal by limiting the size of the initial U.S. tariff reductions, Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee are questioning whether the deal is allowed under the fast-track law. A letter sent Nov. 26, led by Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., and signed by every Democrat on the committee except the chairman and Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., did not explicitly say that Democrats believe the law is not being followed, but repeatedly asked under what authority the agreement was reached. Among the specific issues raised were rules of origin or marking rules and whether there would be changes. The letter also asked if there is such a provision, why wasn't it mentioned in the notification to Congress.
The Treasury Department is seeking comments on an information collection that extends a currently approved collection designating North Korea as a “Jurisdiction of Primary Money Laundering Concern,” according to a notice. The designation bans banks and other financial institutions from opening accounts in the U.S. on behalf of a North Korean bank and processing North Korean transactions, the notice said. Comments are due Dec. 30.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued guidance on the definition of “maintenance” used in General License K, which allows certain transactions with COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) Co. The guidance was released along with two new Frequently Asked Questions and two updated FAQs, according to a Nov. 27 notice.
The European Union’s transfer of authority over its sanctions portfolio represents an increased focus on “stricter sanctions enforcement” and could potentially redefine the impact of EU sanctions, according to a Nov. 21 post from the Royal United Services Institute. The change, made by the European Commission earlier this month, transferred the EU sanctions portfolio from the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security to the Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (FISMA).
Canada is seeking public input “to ensure continued efficiency and effectiveness in administering Canada’s steel safeguards,” it said in a notice. “The information collected as a result of this consultative exercise will assist Global Affairs Canada in developing an allocation policy for the heavy plate and stainless steel wire [tariff rate quotas (TRQs)] for the period of February 1, 2020, to October 24, 2021,” it said. Since June and through January 2020, the TRQs are being administered through “an allocation pool, available to eligible applicants based on their historical import activities during a reference period” and “a residual pool, available on a first-come, first-served basis to applicants that did not receive an allocation,” it said. Comments are due Dec. 8.
Indonesia and South Korea are drawing closer to signing an economic partnership agreement that will grant Indonesia better market access for its industrial, fishery and agricultural exports to South Korea, Indonesia’s Ministry of Trade said in a release Nov. 26, according to an unofficial translation. Negotiations were completed in October on the deal, which will also grant South Korea market access to the Indonesian “raw materials” sector, the agency said. The two countries signed a “Joint Declaration on Completion of the Indonesia-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement” on Nov. 25, saying they are now “one step closer” to ratifying the deal.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls met with Japanese industry representatives to discuss defense trade, the State Department said in a Nov. 25 tweet. The State Department met with representatives sponsored by Japan's Center for International Cooperation on Security Export Controls, calling it a “great opportunity to expand defense trade ties with a key ally!” The State Department last met with Japanese officials Nov. 23 on the margins of the G-20 foreign ministers meeting in Nagoya, Japan. During the meeting, Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan “pledged” to continue helping Japan and South Korea’s trade dispute (see 1910240032) through “trilateral cooperation.”