When the Joe Biden administration takes office, it will likely continue the Commerce Department's emphasis on export controls and entity listings to stay ahead in technology competition with China, said Eric Sayers, an Asia-Pacific policy expert with the Center for a New American Security. Although both tools have been heavily used by the Trump administration, Biden might do more to convince allies to also impose those restrictions, especially as the U.S. fights to maintain commercial leadership in the semiconductor sector, Sayers said.
The Canada government issued the following trade-related notices as of Nov. 11 (some may also be given separate headlines):
Dubai’s customs authority recently issued guidance for declaration procedures for goods consumed within “free zones,” KPMG said in a Nov. 9 post. The guidance outlines the differences between goods consumed in the free zones and goods sold within other markets in the United Arab Emirates, including when customs duties apply. KPMG said certain goods are not subject to duties if they are used and consumed within the free zones “for the purpose” of “enabling businesses to carry out their activity,” while goods sold out of the free zones and introduced in the domestic market are subject to the duties. Dubai’s guidance also “explicitly sets forth an obligation” for free zone companies to “trace their inventory” and introduces a new quarterly reporting requirement for compliance.
The United Kingdom launched a new office to oversee foreign direct investment, in a bid to attract more investment projects. The Office for Investment will be staffed by “highly experienced individuals” with both private sector and government experience, the U.K. said Nov. 10. Based in the Department for International Trade, it will be responsible for resolving “potential barriers” to investment. The office will create a “single front door” for U.K. investment and help boost “economic recovery” nationally. “This major operational transformation is designed to ensure the UK is the most attractive destination in the world to invest,” the U.K. said.
The United Kingdom’s Export Control Joint Unit on Nov. 10 issued contact information for defense-related export inquiries after it said exporters have had trouble reaching the agency. The ECJU said some U.K. exporters are sending emails to “out of date team contacts and email addresses,” and the defense ministry team at the ECJU is “not receiving these requests, which means that a response cannot be sent.” The agency stressed that all exporter requests related to general export license approval letters, exemption letters and other defense-related export matters should be sent to ECJU-MODTeam@mod.gov.uk.
Singapore Customs’ TradeNet will undergo system maintenance Nov. 22 from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Nov. 29 from 4 a.m. to noon local time, a Nov. 10 notice said. The agency advised users to avoid submitting applications during this time. This is in addition to the usual 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. Sunday maintenance.
The Joe Biden transition teams have been announced. The team that is communicating with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the International Trade Commission and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency includes Democratic alumni; experts on trade, industrial policy and currency flows; and union critics of past free trade policy. The teams “are responsible for understanding the operations of each agency, ensuring a smooth transfer of power, and preparing for President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect [Kamala] Harris and their [C]abinet to hit the ground running on Day One,” the announcement said.
U.S. Fashion Industry Association counsel David Spooner told attendees at the USFIA industry virtual conference Nov. 10 that while he thinks it's unlikely that the current administration would add new tariffs on China before leaving office in two months, it's possible that President Donald Trump could increase the tariff rate on list 4A, or put tariffs on list 4B, as a way of “venting his frustration with China.” Spooner, who is at law firm Barnes and Thornburg, said it's also possible that the administration will retaliate against European Union tariffs authorized by the World Trade Organization for past Boeing subsidies.
The State Department designated Arnoldo Aleman, a former president of Nicaragua, due to his involvement in “significant corruption,” it said Nov. 9. The agency also designated several of Aleman’s family members: Maria Fernanda Flores Lanzas de Aleman, Maria Dolores Aleman Cardenal, Maria Alejandra Aleman Cardenal and Carlos Miguel Aleman Cardenal. The State Department said Arnoldo Aleman misappropriated millions of dollars in public funds to benefit himself and his family while he held the office of president from 1997 to 2002. “While this designation is based on acts during his time in office, Aleman’s corruption continues to reverberate in Nicaragua today,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned four people and six companies that helped procure U.S.-origin electronics components and other “sensitive” goods for an Iranian military firm, the agency said Nov. 10. OFAC said the network of people and companies helped ship the items to Iran Communication Industries, which produces military communications systems, electronic warfare items, missile launchers and other goods for Iran.