Singapore Customs’ TradeNet will undergo maintenance from 4 a.m. to noon on Oct. 20, it said in an Oct. 3 notice. During the downtime, the only applications that will not be processed are those involving “amendment, cancellation, refund and stock related permit applications,” the notice said. Singapore is advising traders to submit applications before Oct. 20 “to minimise disruptions to your business operations.”

Japan is creating a “Brexit Service Desk” to support the country’s small and medium-sized companies operating in the United Kingdom after the U.K. leaves the European Union, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in an Oct. 4 press release, according to an unofficial translation. The service desk will be run by 200 “staff and specialists,” the release said, and will provide “individual consultations” to Japanese companies to help them understand the “latest information on local laws and regulations” for “smooth business.”

The Congressional Research Service issued an Oct. 3 report detailing how the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act regulations will reform the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. The report explains the new powers FIRRMA grants CFIUS, what changes are proposed, potential issues the regulations may pose for Congress, and how FIRRMA impacts reporting procedures and export controls. The Treasury Department released the proposed FIRRMA regulations in September, and comments are due Oct. 17 (see 1909180018).

Many Republicans in Congress have been accusing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of dawdling on ratifying the new NAFTA, and White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said that if it doesn't come to the floor of the House by the end of October, "I don't think we're gonna get it."

The U.S. government lacks technical knowledge and a single, leading voice in its approach to technology competition with China, said Adam Segal, the emerging technologies chair at the Council on Foreign Relations. Segal, speaking during an Oct. 4 Brookings Institution panel about the U.S.-China technology relationship, said U.S. industries are concerned that technology policies, such as certain export controls, are being made without a full understanding of their impacts.

The State Department should revamp several aspects of its draft guidance for exports of surveillance technology (see 1909040071) because some of it is “troubling,” “overly broad” and may unnecessarily restrict exports, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation said in comments.

Recent editions of Mexico's Diario Oficial list trade-related notices as follows:

Brazil added another 147 items to its list of foreign capital, information technology and telecommunications goods exempt from import tariffs under its Ex-Tarifario regime, according to an Oct. 3 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. Tariffs will be reduced to zero, from 16 percent or 14 percent, the report said, and many of the additional goods “could potentially be imported” from China and Hong Kong. The additions include 136 capital goods and 11 IT and telecom goods and will be exempt from tariffs through Dec. 31, 2021, the HKTDC said. Brazil added 281 products to its Ex-Tarifario regime in August (see 1908120042).

Argentina expanded its authorized economic operator program to include customs brokers, customs agents and “road transport shippers linked to foreign trade,” according to an Oct. 3 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. To participate in the AEO program, the brokers, agents and shippers must meet certain tax compliance and “commercial registration systems” requirements,” the report said. The change is part of Argentina’s effort to align its AEO program with the World Customs Organization's parameters, the HKTDC said.

Laos removed inspection checkpoints along main roads from its largest province to “expedite the movement of freight transport,” according to an Oct. 3 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The checkpoints, removed from the Savannakhet province, were slowing down cargo movement, serving as “an additional layer of red tape” and were used by local officials to impose “informal fees” on freight companies, businesses told the Laos government, HKTDC said. Although “general inspections” have been eliminated, certain Laotian officials can still inspect freight transport vehicles if they suspect illegal activity, the report said.