The Federal Maritime Commission released a notice of the filing of the following agreements under the Shipping Act of 1984. Interested parties may submit comments on the agreement by email to Secretary@fmc.gov, or by mail to the Secretary, Federal Maritime Commission, Washington, DC 20573, within 12 days of publication in the Federal Register.

In the April 3 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

The government of Canada recently issued the following trade-related notices as of April 3 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency recently updated its information page on the Automated Import Reference System Verification Service (AVS), the agency said an email. "AVS helps importers/brokers validate multiple commodities against the most current [Automated Import Reference System (AIRS)] database," the CFIA said. "Within minutes, AVS identifies which line in a transaction, if any, is incorrect." The AVS technical specifications page and a list of frequently asked questions were also recently updated.

Implementation of the Central American Single Declaration (DUCA) in several Central American countries has been delayed until May 7, according to customs agencies in Costa Rica and several other countries in the region. The new electronic declaration, which replaces the Central American Single Customs Form (FAUCA) and the Single Declaration of Goods for the International Terrestrial Customs Transit (DUT), will be used as the goods declaration by the member states of the General Treaty of Central American Economic Operation (i.e., Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama), according to an alert from the Central American law firm Arias. The new declaration had been set to take effect April 1.

Mexico’s Tax Administration Service announced the addition of several new “web services” for the electronic transmission through the VUCEM single window of permits and certificates required by COFEPRIS (the Federal Commission for the Protection Against Sanitary Risk) and SADER (the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development), in a fact sheet issued April 2. Newly added permits include sanitary certificates for drugs and medical devices, as well as a web service for modifications to phytosanitary imports for imports.

Indonesia and South Korea agreed to exchange electronic certificate-of-origin data to “improve trade services” and “stop the misuse” of certificates of origin for Indonesian projects, according to an April 3 report from Antara News. The memorandum of understanding will “enhance trade and economic relations” between South Korea and Indonesia, the report said, and may lead to further cooperation. The two countries agreed to an “exchange program for employees to attend training programs and gain experience,” according to the report. Indonesian President Joko Widodo said “improvements will be made to the methods of exchanging trade information, an open telecommunication system and the development of procedures, standards and practices in keeping with trade documentation,” according to the report.

The implementation of Malaysia’s new customs declaration system, which was expected to be introduced in early 2019, has been delayed, according to a March 25 report from Baker McKenzie. Malaysia began a pilot version of the new system on March 5, the report said, which covers most imports and exports through Port Klang. While it is unclear when the new Ubiquitous Customs system will fully replace the current Sistem Maklumat Kastam, the report said the “scope of the implementation is (being) gradually expanded.”

Vietnam's General Department of Customs switched to a non-cash payment system beginning April 1, according to a report on the Vietnam Customs Department’s CustomsNews website. The change affects all “economic units and organizations” who import or export to the country and “generate State budget remittances.” Exporters and importers are required to pay a variety of charges -- including taxes, late payment fees and fines -- “in the form of a non-cash payment” or bank transfer.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a report to help U.S. companies comply with exporting laws when shipping milled rice to China. The report, released March 28, followed a December 2018 announcement by China Customs saying the country will allow imports from certain U.S. rice facilities.