Juan Cortina, vice president of the Consejo Nacional Agropecuario, told a Mexican business journalist that his organization and growers met with the Mexican Economy Ministry and Agriculture Ministry to urge them to respond forcefully and proportionately if the U.S. punishes Mexican blueberry or bell pepper producers. The International Trade Commission is investigating whether imported blueberries are injuring domestic producers, and is tracking imports of other Mexican vegetables, which could lead to a second investigation. “It is important that Mexico sends a clear signal to the northern neighbors that this is not OK,” he said in Spanish, and suggested that Mexican officials could retaliate against U.S. corn, soybeans, dairy, pork, beef, chicken, apples, wheat, or high fructose corn syrup.

China will suspend imports from companies for one week if their “cold chain” food products or packaging test positive for COVID-19 a first or second time, the country’s customs authorities said Sept. 11, according to an unofficial translation. If the goods test positive for a third time, China said it will suspend the imports for four weeks. China’s General Administration of Customs said the move is aimed at protecting the “health and safety of consumers” and will better prevent imports of novel coronavirus-contaminated products from “overseas manufacturers.” The policy took effect Sept. 11.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., urged the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. to review the potential purchase of Pennsylvania-based GNC Holdings by Harbin Pharmaceutical Group, a state-controlled Chinese pharmaceutical company. Rubio said the purchase falls within CFIUS’s purview because it involves a Chinese company acquiring sensitive data on “millions” of GNC Holdings’ customers and retail locations “on and around military installations” across the U.S.

Two Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democrats urged the Treasury Department to impose updated Russia Magnitsky Act sanctions, saying the administration failed to announce a new round of designations last year. In a Sept. 9 letter, Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Ben Cardin of Maryland said new sanctions are overdue. “[O]ur expectation has been that [the Office of Foreign Assets Control] announces annual designations by the close of each calendar year,” the senators said. “[W]e still do not have the 2019 round of Russia Magnitsky designations from the Administration. To this effect, we urge the release of a robust and credible list of designations immediately.”

The United Kingdom and Japan agreed Sept. 11 to a free trade accord that will reduce Japanese tariffs on a range of U.K. agricultural products and benefit exporters of Japanese cars and auto parts. The U.K. said the deal, the first major trade agreement for it as a nation independent of the European Union, will eliminate tariffs on 99% of exports to Japan.

China and Norway have made “remarkable progress” on certain aspects of a potential free trade agreement and hope to speed up negotiations, China’s Ministry of Commerce said Sept. 11, according to an unofficial translation of a news release. In virtual talks Sept. 11, the two sides discussed increasing trade, trade remedies, e-commerce, intellectual property concerns, customs issues and technical trade barriers, China said. China’s ministry said both countries believe in “speeding up” negotiations to help strengthen global supply chains amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Sept. 10 dismissed FedEx’s lawsuit against the Bureau of Industry and Security (see 1906250030), saying the shipping company failed to show that BIS was acting outside the authority of the Export Administration Regulations. The court also disagreed with FedEx’s claims that the agency was using the EAR to apply overly burdensome liability standards on carriers and impose penalties even when carriers do not have knowledge of violations.

The Bureau of Industry and Security should impose targeted export controls on specific facial recognition software but take care not to restrict the entire technology category, some of which can be used for benign purposes, IBM said. While some technologies are “clear use-cases that must be off limits” for export, such as artificial intelligence-powered software used for mass surveillance and human rights abuses, other technologies are safe for everyday uses, the company said.

The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation on Sept. 9 renewed two designations under its terrorism and terrorist financing sanctions regime. OFSI renewed the designations for Colombia's Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (National Liberation Army) and Peru's Communist Party, Sendero Luminoso, also known as Shining Path.

The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation corrected an entry under its sanctions for Guinea-Bissau, OFSI said Sept. 9. The correction amends the entry for Col. Tomas Djassi, commander of Guinea-Bissau’s National Guard. Djassi remains subject to an asset freeze.