The United Kingdom officially began talks with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership about joining the trade area, the U.K. said Sept. 9. The U.K.’s Department for International Trade said the country has held “preparatory conversations” with CPTPP members, but the current talks mark the first negotiations on accession.

The Canada government issued the following trade-related notices as of Sept. 9 (some may also be given separate headlines):

While the changes to de minimis for Canada and Mexico have been heavily discussed, Doug Band, the Canada Border Services Agency's director general of trade and anti-dumping, directed traders to the revisions' finer points during a CBP Virtual Trade Week seminar on the USMCA, known as CUSMA in Canada.

China plans to launch a system to electronically exchange origin and other trade information with Indonesia, China’s customs authority said in a Sept. 2 notice, according to an unofficial translation. The system, which will be launched Oct. 15, will allow for preferential treatment for exchanging certain certificate of origin documents and is designed to lead to more efficient declarations.

China will allow imports of fresh blueberries from Zambia, China’s General Administration of Customs said in a Sept. 7 notice, according to an unofficial translation. The notice includes quarantine and phytosanitary requirements for the blueberries.

China revised its import procedures for a range of batteries, the country’s customs authority said in a Sept. 7 notice, according to an unofficial translation. The changes, which take effect Oct. 1, will “optimize the quality and safety inspection and supervision methods” for 22 subheadings of batteries, China said, by allowing traders to issue self-declarations for the safety regulations required for battery imports. If traders do not choose to self-declare, China said it will continue to adopt its “current inspection and supervision method.” The batteries range from button-type, to those with various weights of mercury or alkaline zinc, or with vanadium, or possessing certain voltage.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin accepting applications for relief payments from fishing industries impacted by Chinese retaliatory tariffs, USDA said in a notice released Sept. 9. The application period will run from Sept. 14 through Dec. 14 and will provide aid to “eligible U.S. commercial fishermen” that have suffered from a “loss of exports.” The USDA is also seeking comments on the notice, which details who is eligible for the payments and outlines the application process. Comments are due Nov. 13. The notice stems from a June order from President Donald Trump directing the administration to study the impacts of Chinese tariffs on U.S. seafood exports, including lobster (see 2006260012).

The U.S. and allies are considering imposing sanctions (see 2008270042) against Belarusian officials related to that country’s rigged elections, including the recent “abduction” and forced expulsion of Alexander Lukashenko’s political opponents, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. Although the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control already imposed some Belarusian sanctions, Pompeo said Sept. 8 he is considering “additional targeted sanctions to promote accountability for those involved in human rights abuses.”

Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas was fined nearly $600,000 for violating the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s Ukraine-related sanctions, OFAC said in a Sept. 9 notice. OFAC said the New York bank processed payments for a sanctioned oil company in Cyprus and an investment bank on OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals List. The violations were caused by poor due diligence and an incorrectly calibrated screening tool, OFAC said.

China is growing increasingly confrontational on trade issues and may be more willing to respond to U.S. sanctions with restrictions of its own, experts told the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission Sept. 9. As China mulls retaliation against the U.S., the Trump administration should focus on areas in which it has leverage over China by continuing to push for purchases under the phase one trade deal and restrict Chinese attempts to develop advanced technologies, the experts said.