Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is likely to react “more negatively and more directly” than his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, to the EU’s plan to start taxing carbon-intensive imports, a former U.S. trade official said Oct. 17.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative seeks more comments on how USMCA rules of origin are affecting trade in automotive goods, as it compiles an annual report it will send to Congress by July 2025. USTR will hold a hearing on its investigation on Oct. 8, with requests to appear due Sept. 24 and prehearing briefs due Sept. 26. Post hearing briefs are due Oct. 16, and all other written submissions are due Nov. 18, USTR said. Automakers and their suppliers told USTR in comments on the agency’s 2024 report on the same issue that not having a form for certificate of origin has made compliance more difficult, among other things (see 2402050048).

The U.S. and Mexico have been consulting about U.S. complaints about favoritism to Mexican energy providers for 11 months, with no public movement toward a dispute settlement panel, and Karen Antebi, a former NAFTA negotiator, said she doesn't expect that to change in the next year.

The European Union, emphasizing follow-through from the joint statement in July (see 1807250031) that the EU and U.S. would be working together on trade, announced that imports of U.S. soybeans from July through mid-September more than doubled compared with the same period a year ago. EU Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan said: "I welcome the latest trade figures which show that we are delivering on the commitment made by Presidents [Jean-Claude] Juncker and [Donald] Trump to increase trade, particularly in relation to soya beans. This reflects both our longstanding trade relationship and the potential to achieve so much more by working together to build on that relationship."

The Bureau of Industry and Security is adding 15 entities under 17 entries to the Entity List, under the destinations of China, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, the agency said. BIS is also removing one entity under the destination Greece. The agency is also updating an entry under Hong Kong and an entry under Russia, BIS said.

The Bureau of Industry and Security is amending the Export Administration Regulations to reflect changes to the international Missile Technology Control Regime agreed to in 2017. The changes affect the following Export Control Classification Numbers (ECCNs) on the Commerce Control List: 1B117, 1B118, 1C111, 1C118, 2B109, 2B120, 2B121, 2B122, 6A107, 7A105, 7A107, 7A116, 9A012, 9A101, 9A115, 9A515 and 9A610. The amendments take effect Aug. 30, though any shipments already loaded, on the dock for loading or already onboard a carrier to a port of export or re-export that now require a license as a result of this rule may still be exported or re-exported without a license until Oct. 1, BIS said.

The State Department is again extending a temporary modification of Category XI of the U.S. Munitions List, after the department had determined that exporters may read export control language revised Dec. 30, 2014, to exclude certain intelligence analytics software that has been and remains controlled on the USML, State said. The revision clarifies that the scope of control for intelligence analytics software under paragraphs (b) and (d) of Category XI prior to Dec. 30, 2014, remains in effect through Aug. 30, 2019. State last extended the temporary modification in August 2017 (see 1708290026).

The Bureau of Industry and Security seeks comments by Oct. 12 on potential changes to export controls on spraying and fogging systems. The request comes as part of a review of the effectiveness of controls on the systems, which are controlled for chemical/biological (CB) reasons because they can be used to deliver chemical and biological weapons, and whether the controls may inadvertently affect items in normal commercial use. Among the proposed alternatives to current controls are the removal of references to use of systems by aircraft, removing a criterion based on initial droplet size and lowering the flow rate for controlled spraying and fogging systems.

Retaliatory tariffs for U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum were delayed again by India, the U.S. Department of Agriculture noted Aug. 8. The retaliatory tariffs, first announced in May (see 1805180064), are aimed at agricultural products, motorcycles, steel products and phosphoric and boric acid, and are aimed at offsetting the $241 million in duties India expects its U.S. customers to pay on its steel and aluminum exports. The tariffs were originally expected in June, but have been delayed twice. Many of the items already face high tariffs -- walnuts are taxed at 100 percent, fresh apples at 50 percent, chickpeas at 60 percent, motorcycles at 100 percent -- but the actions would add 10 percent more to many ag products, 20 percent to walnuts and almonds, and 50 percent more to motorcycles.

Arms export restrictions were published Aug. 3 for South Sudan, in a rulemaking from the Bureau of Industry and Security following State Department action in February 2018 (see 1802160036). The country was put on the arms embargo list because of the civil war in South Sudan, which is causing a humanitarian crisis, the U.S. says. Arms slated for United Nations or African Union peacekeeping missions are exempted.