Argentina recently established a “special temporary import regime” for used goods “intended for exploration, exploitation and perforation activities by the hydrocarbon industry,” according to an Aug. 29 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. Certain imports under this regime will face an import duty that is “0.5 to 1.0 percentage points higher for each year of age than the applicable [Most Favored Nation] import duty for new goods,” the report said. Other goods are subject to duty-free treatment, the report said. Companies must be registered in the “registry of oil companies” or act as a supplier for a registered entity, the HKTDC said. The temporary tariff regime will remain in effect until Dec. 31, 2020.
The Department of Homeland Security signed a letter of intent with El Salvador to increase cooperation in several areas, including trade, according to a copy of the letter obtained by PBS and an Aug. 28 DHS press release. The U.S. plans to work with El Salvador to reduce “non-tariff trade barriers to promote foreign direct investment, trade facilitation, and customs enhancement,” the letter said.
Mexico is again allowing more time for importers to comply with new certificate of compliance requirements for some Mexican product standards at the time of entry, the Latin American Confederation of Customs Brokers said in a recent circular. For the second time, an additional 15 days have been added to a grace period that now ends Sept. 10 for importers to obtain a certificate of compliance from a recognized certification body. Until the time period expires, importers that have not yet obtained the certificate may continue their current operations unchanged, as long as they submitted their request to the certification body by June 30 and include a receipt number for the request in their entry documentation. As part of this extension, Mexico announced that it will conduct a review as to why certification bodies have not processed pending requests for certificates, the circular said.
South Korea said it has “deep regret” and strongly protests Japan’s decision to remove South Korea from its list of trusted trading partners, which officially took effect Aug. 28. In a statement, South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for “an immediate withdrawal” of the export restrictions, which it said were a “clear retaliatory trade measure.”
An Iranian citizen pleaded guilty to illegally exporting carbon fiber from the U.S. to Iran, the Justice Department said in an Aug. 29 press release. Behzad Pourghannad faces a maximum 20-year prison sentence for violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said the preview of the Japan trade agreement talked about at the G-7 may only be in principle so far, "but I think this Japanese agreement will give farmers some reason to smile." Grassley, who was speaking with reporters on a conference call Aug. 29, said the deal would give dairy producers, wheat farmers, beef and pork producers and ethanol producers better access to Japan's market in return for eliminating U.S. tariffs "on certain industrial products," and the tariffs on those products are already pretty low.
The Agricultural Marketing Service is issuing a final rule that formally brings regulations previously administered by the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) under the authority of AMS. The changes are necessary as a result of a November 2018 directive from the Secretary of Agriculture that eliminated GIPSA as a stand-alone agency and delegated its authorities to AMS. “This action is necessary to enable the AMS Administrator to issue, maintain, and revise as necessary regulations related to programs under the AMS Administrator’s delegated authority,” the final rule said.
the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned four people and four companies for helping to move money between Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp-Qods Force and the operational arm for Hamas, Treasury said Aug. 29. OFAC designated Muhammad Sarur, Kamal Abdelrahman Aref Awad, Fawaz Mahmud Ali Nasser, Muhammad Kamal al-Ayy and four Lebanon-based entities: Jammal Trust Bank, Trust Insurance, Trust Insurance Services and Trust Life Insurance Company.
The State Department is removing certain “lower performing radars” from the U.S. Munitions List and is extending for two years a temporary modification to Category XI, the State Department said in a notice in the Federal Register.
Nazak Nikakhtar is no longer the acting Commerce Department undersecretary for industry and security, a position she held as she awaited confirmation from the Senate, a Commerce spokesperson said. Nikakhtar is no longer performing that duty and is now focused solely on her role as assistant secretary for industry and analysis. Her nomination has not yet been officially withdrawn.