Nigeria is no longer allowing imports and exports through its land borders, according to an Oct. 14 report by Ships and Ports. The country’s Customs comptroller-general, Hameed Ali, said goods can now only be shipped through the country’s air and sea ports, which will allow security agencies to scan all imports. Ali said the change is aimed at ensuring that only safe and “certified” goods enter Nigeria, the report said. When asked if the new measures violate Nigerian citizens’ access to international trade, Ali said “when it comes to security, all laws take back a seat (sic).”
The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of Oct. 15 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):
China and Singapore will soon implement a system to electronically transmit preferential certificates of origin and certificates of non-manipulation when the two countries trade, according to an Oct. 15 notice from Singapore Customs. The system, which will take effect Nov. 1, will no longer require companies to send hard copies of the certificates overseas, saving “cost and time,” Singapore said. The notice contains details on how to apply for and send the electronic certificates as well as how importers can claim preferential treatment on Chinese imports.
India’s Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs has “revamped and streamlined” a program to strengthen domestic manufacturing through customs bonded warehouses, the agency said in an Oct. 15 press release. The program includes a single application form for “uniformity of practice” and no “geographical limitation on where such units can be set up,” the press release said. “Units” can also import goods under a customs deferment program in which the “duties are fully remitted if the processed goods are exported,” the agency said.
A group of 15 southwest regional customs agencies in China signed a memorandum of cooperation to improve customs clearance, “improve supervision and crack down on smuggling,” according to an Oct. 14 report from Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency. The memorandum will support the “New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor construction,” a “trade and logistics passage” built by Singapore and China, the report said.
A Miami-based financial adviser pleaded guilty to money laundering charges after violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Justice Department said in an Oct. 11 press release. Frank Roberto Chatburn Ripalda, a citizen of the U.S. and Ecuador, tried to bribe officials at Empresa Pública de Hidrocarburos del Ecuador (PetroEcuador), Ecuador’s state-owned oil company, the press release said. Chatburn faces a 20-year maximum prison sentence.
The Export-Import Bank is extending the public comment period as it reviews the bank’s “Economic Impact Procedures and Methodology,” according to an Oct. 15 notice. Comments are now due Oct. 23.
The Export-Import Bank of the United States is extending the deadline for public comments on its guidelines for “determining Additionality on requests the Bank receives to support export transactions with repayment amortizing over the medium or long term,” according to an Oct. 15 notice. Comments are now due Oct. 23.
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs completed a review of a Commerce Department rule that would restrict additional exports and re-exports to Cuba, the OIRA said.
The conventional wisdom in Washington is that a House ratification vote for the new NAFTA can be held before Thanksgiving, according to Dan Ujczo, chairman of Dickinson Wright's cross-border law practice. Ujczo, whose firm works with auto manufacturers and who follows the politics of North American trade closely, said when his clients did fly-ins, Republicans, trade associations, and Democrats outside the Progressive Caucus all said that. But Ujczo doesn't think that's true.