The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control amended a Venezuela-related general license, OFAC said in an Oct. 24 notice. General License No. 5A, replacing No. 5, authorizes certain transactions with certain bonds related to Petróleos de Venezuela, the country’s state-run oil company. OFAC also issued a Frequently Asked Question (No. 595) explaining that the license contains “a delay in effectiveness until January 22, 2020.”

South Korea and Japan are still far apart in consultations over their trade dispute and don’t expect the U.S. to meditate negotiations, South Korea said.

A continued, prolonged power struggle between Nicolas Maduro and the Juan Guaido-led opposition party in Venezuela may leave the effectiveness of U.S. sanctions in doubt, said Elizabeth Rosenberg, a former senior sanctions adviser at the Treasury Department.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a general license to allow certain transactions with COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) Co. -- a subsidiary of COSCO Shipping Corporation -- until Dec. 20, OFAC said in an Oct. 24 notice. General License K allows transactions that are necessary to the “maintenance or wind down” of transactions with COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) and any entity it owns by more than 50 percent. The license does not authorize transactions with COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) Seaman and Ship Management Co.

Crane Worldwide Logistics hired Alexandra Kleinschmidt as vice president-customs brokerage and trade advisory services, the company said in a news release. Kleinschmidt previously worked at DHL Global Forwarding. She "brings a dynamic approach to providing solutions and adds a different approach of driving success in Crane Worldwide’s brokerage division by having expertise in multiple countries as well as being considered an expert in multiple border crossings," VP and Chief Compliance Officer Tracey Anthony said. "Understanding the rules of engagements globally also makes her the right fit for Crane Worldwide’s trade consulting division.”

Ten trade groups, all typically Republican allies, sent a letter to the White House and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer asking that America submit a proposal for reforming the World Trade Organization's Appellate Body, with the offer that if it were adopted, the U.S. would stop blocking appointments to that body. While the administration has been clear about its concerns on how the appeals process is conducted, it has not offered a specific solution. The Oct. 23 letter also defended the dispute settlement system at the WTO, saying, "Since the United States is the world’s largest trading nation and the second-largest exporter, it has been one of the major beneficiaries of the WTO process."

Great Britain's Department for International Trade updated its guidance for the open general export license for military goods, software and technology, according to an Oct. 23 notice. The changes update contact details for the Ministry of Defense’s defense equipment and support facility, the notice said.

The United Kingdom's Department for International Trade on Oct. 23 released a guidance on its trade continuity agreement with Lebanon and an in-depth policy paper on the implications of the deal. The guidance details what the agreement covers and how it copies elements of Lebanon’s agreement with the European Union. The 28-page policy paper includes more details of the continuity agreement, an analysis of trade between the two countries, information on the number of businesses exporting and importing goods to and from Lebanon, and an explanation of the “potential loss” to Britain if the agreement does not take effect.

Poland will require importers and other buyers to settle tax payments through a split payment mechanism beginning Nov. 1, and could impose “severe sanctions” on violators, according to an October KPMG alert. The payment mechanism will apply to buyers of electronics, fuels, steel, recyclable materials, car parts and construction services, the report said, with some exemptions available. If a taxpayer makes a payment “without the application of a split payment despite such an obligation,” Poland may impose an “additional tax liability in the amount of 30 percent of the tax attributable to the purchased goods or services,” KPMG said. Under the split payment mechanism, which was made mandatory for certain goods in September, the net amount of a sale is transferred to a regular bank account while the amount of value-added tax is transferred to a designated VAT account, KPMG said.

The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of Oct. 23 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):