Canada suspended exports of certain military items to Turkey while Canada investigates whether its technologies are being used in the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said the country is “concerned by the ongoing conflict” and the possibility of Canadian military technologies being used in the region. “In line with Canada’s robust export control regime and due to the ongoing hostilities, I have suspended the relevant export permits to Turkey, so as to allow time to further assess the situation,” Champagne said in an Oct. 5 statement.
A Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry advisory panel is focusing on its trade insurance program, which has been affected by global trade tensions and the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan said in an Oct. 12 news release. Japan said that it plans to “analyze the issues that have emerged regarding trade insurance,” such as the pandemic and the “US-China conflict,” according to an unofficial translation. Japan also said that it will take “further measures” through Nippon Export and Investment Insurance, Japan’s state-owned insurance corporation. The advisory panel was scheduled to hold its first meeting Oct. 13.
China and Colombia signed their free trade agreement about three months after concluding negotiations (see 2007200012), an Oct. 12 Chinese news release said, according to an unofficial translation. The agreement contains provisions on rules of origin, customs procedures, technical trade barriers and phytosanitary measures, China said. The deal will also eliminate tariffs on most Chinese and Cambodian products and establishes an “electronic network” to digitally transmit certificates of origin to speed up customs clearances.
China began an anti-subsidy investigation into imports of U.S. polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products, China's Ministry of Commerce said in an Oct. 14 notice, according to an unofficial translation. China said it expects to complete the investigation before Oct. 14, 2021, but may extend it another six months if “special circumstances” warrant it. China last month began an antidumping investigation into U.S. PVC products (see 2009250012).
The Census Bureau issued a guidance on Oct. 8 on the mandatory filing requirements outlined in the Bureau of Industry and Security's April rule on military-related exports (see 2006250026). Census said it received a “number” of questions on the rule, which increased due diligence requirements for certain exports to China, Russia and Venezuela and requires certain Electronic Export Information filings for some exports captured under the rule (see 2004270027).
The United Kingdom completed its second round of trade negotiations with Australia (see 2006170014) and plans to hold the third round in November, the U.K. said Oct. 12. The U.K. called the talks “productive” and said both countries have committed to “removing trade barriers and creating new opportunities for business.” Negotiators discussed a range of trade issues, including rules of origin, the role of state-owned companies, intellectual property, trade remedies and technical barriers to trade.
The Fish and Wildlife Service on Oct. 14 released a final rule reclassifying the American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus), a carrion beetle native to most of the U.S., as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The species had been listed as endangered. Though the agency recently ended blanket import-export restrictions for threatened species, FWS is including a 4(d) rule that prohibits imports and exports without a permit. The agency's final rule takes effect Nov. 16.
The U.S. needs a “technology-specific” trade policy as it pursues export controls over emerging technologies to limit impacts on industry, the Strategic Trade Research Institute and the University of Maryland Center for International and Security Studies said in a report released Oct. 13. The report analyzes three categories of items that it calls “chokepoint technologies” -- position, navigation and timing (PNT), quantum computing, and computer vision -- and examines the feasibility of trade controls on each category. The report stresses that while some items, including PNT technologies, can be controlled, others, such as computer vision technologies, are widely commercially available and should not be restricted.
The Treasury Department issued updated guidance on Hong Kong-related sanctions and the State Department issued a report to Congress under the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, the agencies said Oct. 14.
The United Kingdom on Oct. 13 released its quarterly report on export controls, covering license application decisions and other statistics. The U.K. said it made about 2,800 license decisions on standard individual export licenses from April 1 through June 30, down about 10% from the previous quarter. The U.K. issued more than 98% of the licenses and refused fewer than 2%. For open individual export licenses, the U.K. made decisions on about the same number of licenses as in the previous quarter, approving 68 licenses and rejecting seven.