The Commerce Department is planning to issue multiple guidance documents on its blacklisting of Huawei Technologies due to the large number of questions from U.S. exporters, Commerce officials said during the Bureau of Industry and Security's annual export controls conference July 9-11 in Washington. Officials said the guidance will address the most common questions BIS has received from U.S. industries.
The World Customs Organization issued the following release on commercial trade and related matters:
The European Commission adopted regulations on July 8 that provide a “single list” that contains contact details “of all Member States’ competent authorities that deal with sanctions” and “the EU Commission’s address for notifications,” according to a post on the EU Sanctions blog. The regulations aim to “harmonize and update the contact details” of the sanctions authorities for EU nations, the regulations say.
The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of July 10 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):
Honey importers are required to meet regulatory requirements, such as prohibitions on the "addition of foreign sugars to a food represented as honey," the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said in a July 9 notice. "CFIA has a variety of control and enforcement measures at its disposition, including product detention, disposal, order to remove from Canada, and prosecution," the agency said. "Enforcement actions in cases of non-compliance take into consideration the harm caused by the non-compliance, the compliance history of the regulated party, and whether there was intent to violate federal requirements."
Vietnam is increasing customs enforcement and oversight of imported and exported “loudspeakers,” saying the speakers have recently been found to be used to smuggle drugs into the country, according to a July 9 report from Vietnam Customs' mouthpiece CustomsNews. Customs said it will increase inspections and “intensify” its screening methods of cabinet and mobile loudspeakers. The report specifically mentions speakers being imported from “targeted areas producing, trading and transporting drugs” such as China, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, South America and Africa.
The Philippines reduced import tariffs on mechanically deboned or mechanically separated poultry by 5 percent for chicken and 20 percent for “frozen whole turkey,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service said in a notice published July 8. The rates were previously set at 40 percent due to the country’s recent passage of the Rice Tariffication Law, the notice said. The changes took effect June 13 and extend until Dec. 31, 2020, the notice said.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is making a technical correction to its North Korea sanctions regulations, according to a notice scheduled to be published in the Federal Register July 11. The notice adds a word to the text and does not make any regulatory changes.
The House of Representatives intends to vote on Senate resolutions to block arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates next week, but Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., acknowledged that these restrictions will not become law, because they do not have enough support to override a veto. The Senate vote was 53-45. He said the vote is still important to show that Congress disapproves of how the government of Saudi Arabia is conducting itself.
As the Trump administration pushes for export controls on certain firearms to be transferred from the State Department to the Commerce Department, top Commerce officials said the move should not be a cause for concern and said they are welcoming feedback from the public and members of Congress.