The Federal Maritime Commission will accept comments on its proposed interpretative rule on detention and demurrage charges until Oct. 31, the agency said in a notice. The agency previously said comments are due Oct. 17 (see 1909130026).
The World Customs Organization issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
The port of Mombasa recently removed a $2,000 (in U.S. dollars) container deposit guarantee requirement, according to a Sept. 23 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The deposit guarantee was required for each container before being released for transportation, HKTDC said. The change was welcomed by the Rwanda's private sector businesses, which “have long had issues with the deposit scheme,” the report said.
In the Sept. 23 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
The United Kingdom’s HM Revenue & Customs issued guidance on freight roll-on, roll-off (RORO) imports and exports between the U.K. and the EU if there's a no-deal Brexit. The guidance includes instructions for multiple parts of the process for moving goods from the U.K. to the EU, and vice versa.
The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of Sept. 23 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):
The Congressional Research Service issued an updated report on Sept. 13 on retaliatory tariffs and U.S. agriculture, detailing retaliatory tariffs imposed on the U.S. by China, Canada, Mexico, the European Union and more. The 49-page report also includes “key competitors” for China’s agricultural market, which U.S. agricultural sectors have been most affected by the tariffs, and the long- and short-term impacts of the tariffs on U.S. industries and the economy.
Mid-level negotiations between Chinese negotiators and Office of the U.S. Trade Representative staffers on Sept. 19 and 20 were productive, USTR announced after the close of business on Sept. 20. "The United States looks forward to welcoming a delegation from China for principal-level meetings in October," the announcement said.
President Donald Trump was silent on trade frictions when he appeared before tens of thousands of Indian-Americans in Houston on Sept. 22. On stage with him, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi only hinted at a possible solution to India's expulsion from the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program (see 1909060029). According to a transcript of the event issued by the White House, Modi said that over the next two to three days, he and Trump would discuss economic issues. "I hope that from these discussions as well we will have very positive results," he said. "By the way, President Trump calls me a tough negotiator. However, he himself is quite an expert in the 'art of the deal.' And I am learning quite a lot from him."
The European Parliament called on the United Nations Security Council to impose sanctions and a “comprehensive” arms embargo on anyone accused of human rights violations against the Rohingya population in Myanmar, the parliament said Sept. 19. The parliament called on the EU “to promote the adoption of a resolution on Myanmar” during the next UN Human Rights Council session.