Singapore announced a $109,000 fine on the former director of a freight forwarding company after he pleaded guilty to 26 charges of making false customs declarations, Singapore Customs announced in a May 9 notice. If Lim Boon Kheng, former director of Akarui Pte Ltd., is unable or unwilling to pay the fines, he faces nearly two years in prison, the notice said.

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry updated its “end-user list” to provide exporters information on “foreign entities” that may be involved in weapons proliferation. The update last month added five entities to the list “for which concern cannot be eliminated regarding involvement” in weapons of mass destruction, the ministry said in a notice. Exporters must submit applications for goods that may be used for the development of weapons of mass destruction “even if they are not subject to export restrictions under international agreements,” the notice said.

The U.S. trade war with China and the stalled revision of NAFTA have severely limited their export markets, filling their warehouses with unmovable products and slashing their revenues, farmers said during a House hearing on the state of the farm economy. The farmers called for a quick resolution of trade disputes with China and ratification of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, and suggested another market facilitation program similar to the relief package the Trump administration authorized in 2018 to aid farmers suffering from ongoing sparring over tariffs.

The U.S. seized a North Korean cargo ship for violating U.S. and international sanctions after it transported coal and “heavy machinery” and used U.S. banks for various transactions, the Department of Justice said in a May 9 press release.

President Donald Trump will appoint Dow CEO James Fitterling and Joseph Nicosia of Louis Dreyfus members of the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiation for four-year terms, the White House said.

In the May 8 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

The Canada Border Services Agency replaced a notice issued in January on positioning empty containers, it said in Customs Notice 19-07. The replacement notice "is issued to amend the information on how shipping companies using foreign-flagged vessels to reposition empty containers (that they own or lease) in Canadian waters (on a non-revenue basis) are to be treated," the CBSA said.

The Mexican Tax Administration Service issued a notice May 8 amending the country’s Foreign Trade Regulations. Changes include the addition and removal of tariff subheadings -- all involving textiles, apparel and footwear -- from several annexes that list goods subject to import permits, goods that are prohibited from transit, and goods that may be moved through certain ports, among other things, according to a Confederation of Mexican Customs Broker Associations (CAAAREM) circular posted by consultancy AJR Comercio Exterior. The notice also makes changes to requirements for Mexican customs brokers.

Canadian Minister for International Trade Diversification James Carr said Canada is "following with great interest" what the Senate Finance Committee chairman and other Republicans senators are saying about Section 232 tariffs. "We will see how they decide to work that out," he said at the Council of the Americas conference May 7. He said that even though none of the countries got everything they wanted in the new NAFTA, Canada's government wants to see it ratified. "We negotiated for 14 months in good faith, we found alignment with our trading partners, we want to see it ratified. There are irritants, though, and the 232 tariffs on the steel and aluminum -- which we believe to be unwarranted -- are a real problem. It's going to be difficult to ratify the agreement as long as those tariffs are in place." He said Canadians are talking with U.S. counterparts about the tariffs, "and we hope they will be removed."

The Philippines Bureau of Customs recently issued guidelines on appeals procedures for merchandise it declares abandoned. After BOC issues an order of abandonment, the “aggrieved party” may file an appeal with the district office within 15 days of receipt of the order. The district collector then has five days to decide the appeal, and another two to transmit to the commissioner of customs notice of the final decision. That decision is subject to protest. Once the order becomes final, “the subject shipments shall be immediately disposed by the concerned District Collector,” the notice said.