A mutual recognition arrangement between Singapore and Australia on authorized economic operator programs takes effect May 15, Singapore Customs said in a May 6 circular. Under the MRA, members of trusted trader programs in Singapore and Australia -- Secure Trade Partnership and Australian Trusted Trader, respectively -- will now receive “facilitated customs clearance” in the other country. Singapore companies that are non-members of STP but are exporting to or importing from ATT companies, and Australian companies that are non-members of ATT but are exporting to or importing from STP companies, may still receive benefits if they include their business partner’s AEO code on their export or import declaration.

The Treasury’s Financial Crimes and Enforcement Network issued an update to its advisory on Venezuelan attempts to “steal, hide or launder money” in the wake of U.S.-imposed sanctions, FinCEN said in a May 3 press release. The 15-page advisory -- described as a guide for “chief risk officers,” chief compliance officers,” “sanctions analysts” and “legal departments,” among others -- provides an overview of U.S. sanctions against Venezuela and details the country’s attempts to avoid them. The guide also provides “financial red flags” to help companies report “suspicious activity that may be indicative of corruption by Venezuelan senior political figures.”

Regulations of U.S. export controls have recently become “more difficult to apply,” according to a study released May 6 by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. The study, which focuses broadly on methods that Chinese companies use to transfer technology from the U.S., said regulators are facing more difficulty predicting which “early-stage technologies developed for commercial purposes” could be used for future military purposes. The study also briefly touched on the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act, signed into law in 2018, which allows the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. to review transactions by foreign entities in the U.S. to determine their impact on national security. The study said FIRRMA leaves some methods of Chinese technology transfers “unaddressed,” including “investments in U.S. critical technologies based outside” the U.S.

While the Chinese have not levied tariffs on U.S. aircraft, the top manufactured good China imports from the U.S., that could change if President Donald Trump follows through on his May 5 threat to hike 10 percent tariffs to 25 percent, one expert believes. Edward Alden, a trade expert and professor at Western Washington University, said that the Chinese have been seriously negotiating for five months, and if the U.S. walks away, they will hunker down for a long, protracted trade war. They could levy tariffs on airplanes, increase customs hassles for those U.S. firms exporting goods to China and create geopolitical trouble for the U.S.

Italy delayed the effective date of value-added taxes on “remote sales” of certain goods through “electronic interfaces,” including mobile phones, video game consoles, tablets and laptops, according to a May 2 notice from KPMG. The taxes will take effect Jan. 1, 2021, KPMG said, and VAT payments on remote sales are not required for the first quarter of 2019. However, KPMG said that beginning July 1, 2019, “taxable persons that make such remote sales have a reporting obligation for transactions conducted between” Feb. 13 and May 1 this year. The changes were announced as part of a decree regarding “urgent economic growth measures” published April 30, KPMG said. The decree also expanded the VAT reporting requirements for sales of all goods through “an electronic interface.”

In the May 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 May 3 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):

Health Canada recently published new regulations for corded window coverings meant to reduce the strangulation hazard created by such products, the agency said in a news release. The regulations specify "requirements for construction, performance, labelling, and required product information across all market segments," Health Canada said in a notice in the Canada Gazette, Part II. The regulations take effect May 1, 2021, and will apply to all corded window coverings "sold, advertised, imported, or manufactured in Canada," Health Canada said. Among other things, the regulations will add requirements for sizes, lead content and reachability.

Vietnam is banning imports of outdated machinery and production line equipment beginning June 15, according to a post on the Vietnam Briefing blog from Dezan Shira & Associates. The import ban is part of a larger prohibition on the use of imported machinery, equipment and production line technology that is more than 10 years old that also takes effect that date, the blog post said.

Singapore police arrested three men after Singapore Customs said they imported about $300,000 worth of counterfeit cellphone parts from China, the customs agency said in a May 2 press release. Customs first discovered the scheme in April, when officials intercepted a shipment from China at the Changi Airfreight Centre of more than 500 phone parts, Customs said. After “raids” at three separate locations, police said they found more than 3,400 counterfeit phone parts imported by the three men with “falsely applied trademarks of well-known brands.” Customs said the men imported the parts for “the purpose of trade.” The maximum penalty for importing or selling counterfeit goods is $100,000 and five years in prison, Customs said.