Mexico’s Secretariat of Economy will stop issuing certificates of origin for exports under free trade agreements with the European Union, the European Free Trade Association and Japan, and exporters must instead obtain authorized exporter status to obtain benefits under the agreements, according to a circular from the Mexican Confederation of Customs Broker Associations. Exporters with existing authorizations on the Registry of Eligible Products for Tariff Preferences for Obtaining Certificates of Origin under the agreements will be given an authorized exporter number. Exporters that want to export more types of goods must file new requests in the registry and certify compliance with origin requirements in the Mexican single window, said the circular, which was posted by Mexican consultancy AJR Comercio Exterior. The new scheme will not apply for merchandise subject to some export quotas and some goods listed in an annex to the Mexico-Japan FTA.

The Canada Border Services Agency on July 2 updated a notice on the tariff classification of front-mount mowers, the agency said in Memorandum D10-14-27. "Front-mount mowers, without the mower deck, are to be classified as tractors of subheading 8701.91.00, 8701.92.00, 8701.93.00, 8701.94.00, or 8701.95.90, depending on engine power," the agency said. The mower decks "are classified under tariff item 8433.19.00 as other mowers for lawns, parks, or sports-grounds," it said. "Lawn tractors remain classified under tariff item 8433.11.00 as mowers powered, with the cutting device rotating in a horizontal plane for lawns, parks, or sports-grounds and are subject to the applicable rates of duty."

Singapore importers of cigarettes will soon be required to file the Singapore Duty-Paid Cigarette marking applications online instead of providing physical copies, Singapore Customs said in a July 1 notice. All importers and manufacturers of cigarettes must obtain Customs approval on “new brands or variants of cigarettes” and are required to fill out the “Singapore Duty-Paid Cigarette” form online, available starting July 1, the notice said. Singapore Customs plans to phase out the physical copies and only accept online applications by Aug. 30.

The president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation praised President Donald Trump’s recent decision to loosen restrictions on exports to Huawei, saying criticism of the announcement “misses the point.” In a blog post, Robert Atkinson said “it does not appear” that Trump agreed to permanently lift the Huawei ban, but only to temporarily allow Huawei to import U.S. products to ease trade tensions in the pursuit of a deal with China. “Presumably he has made it clear to [Chinese President] Xi [Jinping] that if China does not play ball, the ban could and would resume,” Atkinson said. “It is highly unlikely that Xi would have or could have agreed to reopen negotiations without this ‘concession.’” The statement followed Trump’s announcement at the G-20 Summit in Japan that he would be easing restrictions on Huawei, which includes allowing U.S. companies to sell “general merchandise” to the tech giant (see 1907010050).

A Los Angeles resident was found guilty of conspiring to illegally export semiconductor chips to China, violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the Department of Justice said in a July 2 press release. Yi-Chi Shih faces a maximum prison sentence of 219 years.

The Agriculture Department is asking for comments on the sanitary and phytosanitary standard (SPS) setting activities at the Codex Alimentarius Commission from July 20, 2018, to June 21, 2019, and June 21, 2019, to May 31, 2020. The notice provides a list of the standard-setting activities, as well as other types of Codex standards like commodity standards, guidelines, codes of practice and revised texts. Attachment 1 to the notice sets forth the SPS standards under consideration or planned for consideration, as well as, for each SPS standard specified: (1) a description of the consideration or planned consideration of the standard; (2) whether the U.S. is participating or plans to participate in the consideration of the standard; (3) the agenda for U.S. participation, if any; and (4) the agency responsible for representing the U.S. with respect to the standard.

CBP will require ACE for reporting all in-bond exports, arrivals and diversions starting July 29, the agency said in a CSMS message. "CBP will no longer accept paper copies of the CBPF 7512 to perform arrival and export functionality," though air shipments will still be exempt from the requirements, it said. "An ACE edit will issue a rejection if these actions are not performed," CBP said. "At this time, no date is set for implementation of the provision requiring the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule number requirement for Immediate Transportation movements." The Automated In-Bond Processing Business Process document is the "official publication which provides both CBP and the trade community with guidance, requirements and responsibilities when processing in-bond cargo," the agency said.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control added one person and one entity to its Specially Designated Nationals List, OFAC said in a July 2 notice. In Federal Register notices, the State Department said Lebanon-based Husain Ali Hazzima and the Pakistan-based Balochistan Liberation Army are each designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. Both pose "a significant risk of committing" acts of "terrorism that threaten” the U.S. or its national or economic security, State said. OFAC also added several aliases for Jundallah, an Iran-based militant organization, which maintained its State Department designation as a foreign terrorist organization (see 1907010011).

As the Commerce Department prepares to issue export controls on emerging technologies, U.S. industries are urging the agency to limit controls on artificial intelligence and 3D printing, according to industry comments gathered by Jessica Blum Sanchez, the trade compliance manager at Accenture Federal Services.

Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for June 24-28 in case they were missed.