Tariffs Hurt the Heartland sent a letter to President Donald Trump June 13 saying that he should push China to change its trade practices, but said, "broadly applied tariffs are not an effective tool to change China’s unfair trade practices." The letter, signed by 520 companies and 141 associations, said, "We remain concerned about the escalation of tit-for-tat tariffs. We know firsthand that the additional tariffs will have a significant, negative and long-term impact on American businesses, farmers, families and the U.S. economy."

The World Customs Organization issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:​​

Argentina is adopting new product standards for sunglasses and glasses frames, it said a notice published June 12 in the Boletin Oficial of the Argentine Republic. Effective Dec. 9, imported and domestically produced sunglasses and glasses frames must comply with the international standards ISO 12312-1 and ISO 12870, respectively. Exempt from the new product standards are certain toy glasses, certain eye protection equipment including for sports (such as ski goggles) and sunbeds, medically prescribed glasses for reducing solar radiation and products for direct observation of the sun (such as glasses for viewing solar eclipses). The new product standards include marking and warning label requirements, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council said in an alert. Importers may certify compliance through Dec. 8, 2022, but after that date must demonstrate compliance with reports prepared by an accredited lab, HKTDC said.

Vietnam is cracking down on transshipment schemes that falsely claim Vietnamese country of origin to avoid high tariffs on Chinese goods, according to a June 13 report in CustomsNews. Vietnam Customs has discovered dozens of certificate of origin violations so far, particularly in the textiles and apparel, seafood, agricultural, steel, aluminum and timber sectors, the report said.

Myanmar issued a notice June 6 that it will now allow foreign and joint venture companies to export certain foods and commodities, according to a report in the Yangon-based Myanmar Times. “Foreign companies with recommendations from relevant ministries [that] can buy the commodities from local producers will be issued licenses to export the goods,” the report said. Items authorized for export include rice, meat and fish, value-added crops, pulp and paper, seeds, refined metals, semi-finished or finished fruit products and wood-based furniture, the report said. “Notably, foreign companies in Myanmar will be allowed to export value-added rice and broken rice as well as beans, pulses and corn,” it said.

India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade is raising minimum prices for imports of broken and whole cashews, it said in a notification issued June 12. For broken cashews of Indian tariff subheading 08013210, imports won’t be allowed if the CIF value is less than 680 rupees ($9.78) per kilogram, and for whole cashews of subheading 08013220, imports are prohibited unless the CIF value is above 720 rupees ($10.35) per kilogram, the notification said. Indian cashew growers said the move would put a stop to “dumping of cheap of low-quality nuts” from Africa and Southeast Asia, according to a report in The Hindu Business Line.

The China Cotton Association will request an exclusion for uncombed cotton from Chinese retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, according to a report from Reuters. The trade group published a notice on its website June 13 asking for information from its members on their cotton imports and the impacts on their businesses, which will be used in the submission to the Chinese Ministry of Finance. The period to request exclusions from China’s retaliatory tariffs ends July 5 (see 1905290034).

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is amending regulations to adjust for inflation by increasing the maximum amount of civil monetary penalties that the agency may impose for certain violations, OFAC said in a June 13 update on its website and a notice scheduled to be published in the June 14 Federal Register. The change was made “to implement for 2019 the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990,” the notice said. OFAC is increasing the maximum amount of penalties that fall under the Trading with the Enemy Act, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act and the Clean Diamond Trade Act.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced a $40,000 settlement with Cubasphere and an unnamed individual for violating the Cuban Assets Control Regulations, OFAC said in a June 13 enforcement notice.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced a $325,000 settlement with Expedia Group Inc. for helping more than 2,000 people with “Cuba-related travel services” that OFAC said violated the Cuban Assets Control Regulations, according to a June 13 enforcement notice.