Apple was fined about $465,000 for violations of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Sanctions Regulations after it hosted, sold and “facilitated the transfer” of software applications and content belonging to a sanctioned company, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said in a Nov. 25 notice. Apple allegedly dealt in “the property and interests” of SIS d.o.o., a Slovenian software company added to OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals List in 2015.
The European Union has brought a World Trade Organization dispute against Indonesian export restrictions on raw materials used in stainless steel production, the European Commission said Nov. 21. The restrictions “unfairly limit” EU producer access to these materials, namely nickel, scraps, coal, coke, iron ore and chromium, the commission said. The EU is also “challenging” subsidies that “encourage use of local content by Indonesian producers and give preference to domestic over imported goods,” the commission said, calling the subsidies a violation of WTO rules.
The World Customs Organization issued the following release on commercial trade and related matters:
The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of Nov. 22 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):
Argentina and Mexico made several antidumping determinations on products from China and Malaysia, according to a Nov. 21 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. Argentina will rescind its 178 percent antidumping duties on certain “conveyor belts of vulcanised rubber reinforced only with textile materials” and introduced a 56 percent duty on certain mainland Chinese knitted gloves, the report said. Argentina also determined that certain glass plates exported to Argentina from Malaysia are evading the antidumping duty on certain ceramic, marble and glass tiles from mainland China. Mexico began a sunset review of antidumping duties on certain concrete steel nails from mainland China, the report said.
Singapore Customs’ TradeNet will undergo system maintenance from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 8, Singapore said in a Nov. 21 notice. The agency is advising users to avoid submitting applications during this time. This schedule includes extended down time beyond the normal system maintenance that ordinarily ends at 8 a.m. on Sundays.
China and Cambodia will begin trade negotiations on Dec. 3 in Beijing, according to a Nov. 22 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The deal is expected to “extend beyond the benefits” in the countries’ existing trade agreement and to feature new preferential benefits associated with agricultural exports, the report said. The deal is also expected to provide an extra “boost” to companies looking to relocate production lines to Cambodia amid the U.S.-China trade war, HKTDC said.
The Treasury Department recently released its annual report to Congress on covered transactions by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States during 2016 and 2017. The report includes trend data on the transactions, CFIUS investigations, business sectors involved in CFIUS filings and a “detailed discussion” of the “perceived adverse effects of covered transactions on the national security” of the U.S. The report also contains a section assessing whether there is “credible evidence of a coordinated strategy” by foreign governments to acquire critical U.S. technology. The report said foreign governments are “extremely likely” to use a “range of collection methods to obtain critical U.S. technologies,” saying U.S. tech is targeted by foreign “intelligence services, private sector companies, academic and research institutions, and citizens of dozens of countries.”
When asked on "Fox & Friends" Nov. 22 whether he intends to sign or veto two bills on Hong Kong (see 1911200036), President Donald Trump didn't directly answer, instead saying, “We have to stand with Hong Kong, but I’m also standing with President Xi [Jinping], he’s a friend of mine. He’s an incredible guy, but we have to stand … I’d like to see them work it out, OK?"
The European Union-Singapore free trade deal offers wide-ranging benefits for companies, although some businesses may only be aware of the deal’s reduced and eliminated tariffs, according to a Nov. 21 alert from PricewaterhouseCoopers. While the agreement (see 1911080069) does present “significant tariff reduction,” it also removed a range of non-tariff barriers; offers greater market access in electronics, environmental and computing sectors; and provides greater intellectual property protection and access to government contracts.