The European Union said it would “reject any ultimatums” imposed by Iran after the country announced May 8 it is suspending some of its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, effective immediately (see 1905080058). In a May 9 statement, the EU said it has “great concern” over Iran’s demands and “strongly” urged it to “refrain from any escalatory steps,” but also said it disapproves of U.S.-imposed sanctions on Iran following U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA.
The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned two companies and two ships for operating in the Venezuelan oil sector, Treasury said in a May 10 press release. As part of the announcement, it said that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “determined that persons operating in the defense and security sector of the Venezuelan economy” may be sanctioned.
China will raise tariff rates on 5,140 tariff lines of U.S. goods in response to the latest escalation in the trade war, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced May 13. It is not increasing tariffs on the U.S. imports that have not yet been part of retaliation. Instead, it is increasing the previously imposed punitive tariffs from 10 percent to 20 or 25 percent, and increasing other tariffs from 5 percent to 10 percent.
During a House hearing on China’s influence in Europe, several experts said the U.S. needs to more strongly cooperate with Europe against Chinese trading practices and economic influences, including on export controls and information sharing.
The World Customs Organization issued the following release on commercial trade and related matters:
France plans to eliminate glyphosate use by 2021 with “limited exceptions,” according to a May 2 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture' Foreign Agricultural Service. France Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume, who made the announcement, also said the country hopes to slash “pesticide, insecticide and fungicide” in half by 2025, saying the country should “revert to the farming methods used by their grandparents,” according to the report. The announcement was met with negative reaction from French farmers and farm unions, who claimed that “style of farming” could reduce production by 30 percent to 40 percent below today's levels, USDA said. In April, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue called Vietnam's recent ban on the importation of glyphosate “devastating” and said it could cause significant ramifications for global agricultural production (see 1904120011).
Brazil recently added the capability for electronic phytosanitary certificates in its single window portal, the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply said in a press release. Implemented April 26, the new capability allows exporters to receive electronic certificates and complete the requirements of several agencies in one place, the release said. The new system includes a verification code and online query page that permits the information on the certificates to be seen by importers before the cargo arrives at its destination, it said. The data is recorded directly in the Brazilian single window, and analyzed by the Agricultural Surveillance System of the Ministry of Agriculture before the certificates are issued. The data is also visible to other agencies, such as Brazilian Customs, the release said.
Argentina is increasing its “statistical tax” on all imports for consumption and temporary imports, it said in a May 6 notice in the Argentine Official Bulletin. Effective May 7, the rate rose to 2.5 percent, up from 0.5 percent, the notice said. Similar to the U.S. Merchandise Processing Fee, the Argentina statistical tax, which is meant to cover the costs of administrative work around imports, is limited to maximum amounts based on the value of the imports. The May 6 notice sets those limits at $150 for imports up to $10,000; $2,500 for imports between $10,000 and $100,000; $25,000 for imports between $100,000 and $1,000,000; and $125,000 for all imports above $1,000,000.
Singapore announced a $109,000 fine on the former director of a freight forwarding company after he pleaded guilty to 26 charges of making false customs declarations, Singapore Customs announced in a May 9 notice. If Lim Boon Kheng, former director of Akarui Pte Ltd., is unable or unwilling to pay the fines, he faces nearly two years in prison, the notice said.
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry updated its “end-user list” to provide exporters information on “foreign entities” that may be involved in weapons proliferation. The update last month added five entities to the list “for which concern cannot be eliminated regarding involvement” in weapons of mass destruction, the ministry said in a notice. Exporters must submit applications for goods that may be used for the development of weapons of mass destruction “even if they are not subject to export restrictions under international agreements,” the notice said.