The World Customs Organization issued the following release on commercial trade and related matters:
In the Aug. 9-12 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
Recent editions of Mexico's Diario Oficial list trade-related notices as follows:
Brazil is eliminating tariffs on 281 products under its Ex-Tarifario regime, which provides reduced-rate treatment on certain foreign capital and information technology and telecommunications goods, according to an Aug. 12 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The additions to the list of eligible products include 261 capital goods and 20 IT and telecom goods, the report said. The tariffs will be reduced to duty-free until Dec. 21, 2021, HKT said.
Vietnam Customs issued guidance on requirements for used machinery imports, the country’s customs mouthpiece, CustomsNews, said Aug. 11. The guidance includes additional information on which types of machinery imports are permitted, requirements for when a company must submit their business registration and a description of information that must be included in customs documents. Vietnam said it is also requiring customs import dossiers to include original certificates from the item’s manufacturer and the year it was manufactured. Vietnam banned certain imports of used machinery in June (see 1905030051).
A new China-Europe freight train launched last week that will help exports from China’s Sichuan province to Europe and boost foreign trade, China’s State Council Information Office said Aug. 12. The train, carrying more than “30,000 parcels” worth about $70 million, is the “first of its kind” between the city of Chengdu and Budapest, China said. The train is a “significant part” of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the State Council said, and should increase trade between China and Europe.
An Iranian citizen pleaded guilty Aug. 9 to conspiring to illegally export technology from the U.S. to Iran, the Justice Department said in a press release. Negar Ghodskani was arrested for the violations in 2017.
Republican senators urged the European Union to increase sanctions on the Nicolas Maduro-led regime in Venezuela, saying in a letter the EU should “align its sanctions regime” with that of the U.S. and Canada, according to an Aug. 8 Senate Foreign Relations Committee press release. The senators said the U.S. and Canada have imposed sanctions on more than 200 Venezuelan government officials, and the EU’s support would “send a powerful message” to Maduro.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is ending its practice of imposing blanket restrictions on importation and exportation of species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, it said in an Aug. 12 press release. Going forward, import and export restrictions will not automatically apply to species listed as threatened, and FWS will have to issue a species-specific “Section 4(d)” rule to implement any restrictions on import, export and taking, the agency said. Species currently listed as threatened will not be affected, FWS said.
The U.S. Export-Import Bank has adequately implemented its revised guidance to fix weaknesses in its monitoring of dual-use exports financed by the agency, the Government Accountability Office said in an Aug. 12 report. The GAO verified that three recent transactions had been conducted properly and did not make any more recommendations for the bank.