The U.S. is not expecting major companies to use INSTEX, the European payment system designed to allow countries to trade with Iran despite U.S. sanctions, said Brian Hook, a State Department senior policy adviser. Hook also said INSTEX will likely never be fully operational.

The U.S. and Japan agreed to a trade deal that will see Japan buy more U.S. agricultural goods, including beef, pork, dairy and corn, the countries announced during the G-7 summit in France.

Companies trading with the United Arab Emirates will not longer pay a 1 percent fee when seeking a refund for paid security deposits for the “value of temporarily imported goods,” according to an Aug. 22 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The UAE will only impose a fee about US$13.60 for re-exports regardless of the value of the goods, the report said. The change is part of the country’s efforts to promote Abu Dhabi as a “leading regional and international hub for commerce and industry,” the HKTDC said.

The United Kingdom and South Korea signed a trade continuity agreement Aug. 22 to ensure the countries trade under current terms after a potential no-deal Brexit on Oct. 31, the U.K. Department for International Trade said in a press release. Under the agreement, trade would “continue with minimal changes to tariffs and quotas when the UK leaves the EU,” according to a U.K. fact sheet on exporting to South Korea. The U.K. is already covered by a trade deal between the European Union and South Korea, but that could change when and if the U.K. leaves the EU with no transition deal in place.

A man in the Netherlands is suspected of illegally exporting more than 13 tons of waste to Africa and Asia, the country’s Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate announced Aug. 21, according to an unofficial translation. The country said the man had not applied for the proper export license to ship the garbage, which included polyvinyl chloride. Dutch authorities said they searched two properties and seized a company’s business records as part of the investigation. Money-laundering of profits from the operation is suspected as well.

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

Global Affairs Canada issued a notice to brokers and a notice to exporters related to the country's accession to the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (see 1906260066). “An export permit requirement has been put in place for the export of ATT items” to the U.S., GAC said. The reporting requirements “enable the Government of Canada to increase transparency by reporting on the permanent export of ATT items to the United States.”

China is renewing a customs agreement that allows Hong Kong traders to transship cargo from Hong Kong to mainland China under reduced tariffs, according to an Aug. 21 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The agreement allows for reduced tariffs for cargo from China’s list of “Least Developed Countries,” which includes mainly African nations, including Angola, Ethiopia, Uganda and more, the report said. The agreement allows Hong Kong traders to apply for “Certificates of Non-manipulation,” which make cargo eligible for “preferential tariffs,” the HKTDC said. The agreement was originally set to end on Aug. 1.

France said it will oppose a recently signed European Union trade deal with several South American countries, including Brazil, because of what French President Emmanuel Macron called Brazil’s failure to stop the burning of the Amazon rainforest, according to an Aug. 23 Associated Press report. Macron said France cannot approve the trade deal “in its current state.” In addition to Brazil, the EU deal with MERCOSUR involves Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. “The decisions and statements from Brazil these recent weeks show clearly that President [Jair] Bolsonaro has decided to not respect his commitments on the climate, nor to involve himself on the issue of biodiversity,” Macron said in a statement, according to the AP.

The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation updated is sanctions guidance on ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida, the OFSI said Aug. 21. The guidance contains a list of sanctioned persons and recent HM Treasury notices on the terrorist organizations. The most recent notice, dated Aug. 21, includes individuals recently added to a United Nations Security Council Sanctions List (see 1908160019).