China’s General Administration of Customs announced plans to start a two-step import declaration pilot program at 10 ports starting Aug. 24, according to Chinese Customs press release and a post from KPMG. The program allows importers to submit declarations in less steps before the goods are released by customs, KPMG said. The cities involved in the program include Huangpu, Shenzhen and Qingdao.
The White House said it is continuing the national emergency related to U.S. export control regulations, according to an Aug. 14 press release. The emergency is being continued because there is still an “unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy” of the U.S., the White House said. The emergency is being extended for one year. It was first declared Aug. 17, 2001.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is seeking comments to inform its annual congressional report on Russia’s implementation of obligations as a member of the World Trade Organization, the USTR said in a notice the Aug. 14 Federal Register. The interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee, chaired by the USTR, will hold a public hearing on Oct. 8. Written comments and requests to speak at the hearing are due Sept. 27.
A Japanese newspaper said that Japan and the U.S. have begun working on text for a free trade agreement. "The points of contention have become very clear and discussions have been progressing,” said Kazuhisa Shibuya, a senior policy coordinator at Japan’s Cabinet Secretariat, at a news conference following the talks, a report in The Japan Times said. He also said the two sides are talking about rules of origin, which suggests that the U.S. is entertaining tariff elimination on at least some industrial products, not just rescinding the automobile Section 232 threat in return for agricultural market access.
The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control is holding its 2019 Fall Symposium on Nov. 12 in Washington, D.C., OFAC said in an Aug. 14 notice. The symposium will feature a “comprehensive review” of U.S. sanctions and OFAC staff will be available to answer questions, the agency said. Registration is open, but the agency has not yet released an agenda. According to the webpage for the event, the agenda will be made available at the event.
China will take “necessary countermeasures” if the U.S. imposes an additional 10 percent duty on $300 billion worth of Chinese imports, the Chinese State Council’s Customs Tariff Commission said Aug. 15, according to Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency. The move “seriously violated the consensus” reached by the two countries and “deviated from the right track of settling differences through consultations,” the official said, according to Xinhua. The statement was in response to President Donald Trump’s announcement that the U.S. would be increasing tariffs on Chinese goods on Sept. 1. Trump later said the tariffs would be postponed until December.
Japan is unsure about the details of South Korea’s decision to remove Japan’s preferential trade status, a Japanese official said, but thinks the move won’t have much of an impact.
The State Department announced sanctions on Zhuhai Zhenrong, China’s state-owned oil company, for buying petroleum from Iran, according to a notice in the Aug. 15 Federal Register. The sanctions -- which target the company and Youmin Li, its executive director and general manager -- take effect Sept. 16.
The United Kingdom updated guidance for two defense-related general licenses on Aug. 13. For the U.K.'s open general export license for "military goods for demonstration," the U.K. will now allow the option for the goods to remain under the control of the exporter’s agent. For its open general export license on "historic military vehicles and artillery pieces," including “vintage” vehicles built 50 years or more before the export date that are exported to European Union countries for no longer than three months, "exporters are no longer required to register," the updated guidance said.
The United Kingdom Department for International Trade is setting new export controls on submersible vessels and related equipment, software and technology destined to Russia. “This additional control is a consequence of Russia developing certain capabilities -- including the ability to track, access and disrupt undersea communication cables,” the agency said in a notice to exporters. The new export controls, which take effect Aug. 14, only apply to exports to Russia, it said. “Export licence applications for items subject to the new control will be assessed on a case-by-case basis against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria,” said the U.K. Department for International Trade.