The Journal of Commerce reports that the long-awaited standards for container security devices could be announced soon, and that the Department of Homeland Security has set the bar at one false alarm per shipload of containers, which for a 10,000 TEU vessel would compute to a 0.01 percent false alarm rate. (JoC, dated 08/20/07, www.joc.com )
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted to its Web site its June 2007 Report to the Trade on the Automated Commercial Environment/International Trade Data System Standard Data Set (SDS). CBP has also posted the ITDS Megamatrix.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has issued a notice announcing its decision not to initiate an investigation under section 302 of the Trade Act of 1974 with respect to a petition it received from the Bipartisan China Currency Action Coalition addressing China's currency valuation policies because initiation of an investigation would not be effective in addressing the issues raised in the petition. (FR Pub 08/21/07, available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-16455.pdf)
The New York Times reports that China is prepared to require that every shipment of food being exported to the U.S. and other countries be inspected for quality by the government, starting September 1, 2007, according to a senior trade official at China's Washington embassy. The official stated that all types of food would be inspected with at least one box in each shipment being checked and each package or shipment would be affixed with a government seal. The official also noted that the Chinese government opposes any mandate to hire independent safety laboratories (to test toy imports), saying that inspection is a country's sole authority. (NYT, dated 08/16/07, available at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/16/business/16inspect.html?_r=1&oref=slogin)
According to DelawareOnline, radiation detectors will be installed at the Port of Wilmington's exit gates in August as part of a strengthened homeland security effort; the installation is expected to finish in September. Known as radiation portal monitors, the devices will scan imported containers for the presence of nuclear and radioactive materials as trucks drive cargo out of the port. (DO, dated 07/28/07, available at http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070728/NEWS/707280347/1006/NEWS)
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued a final rule which amends its regulations at 7 CFR Parts 319, 330, and 340 regarding the importation of nursery stock, effective September 5, 2007.
The Journal of Commerce Online reports that Secretary of Homeland Security Chertoff stated at an August 16, 2007 COAC meeting that DHS could launch a trade data warehouse - a Global Trade Exchange - as a voluntary program, stating that people would want to be part of it as more information means better government targeting and fewer delays for participants. (JoC Online dated 08/16/07, www.joc.com )
American Shipper states that the Trade Support Network has convinced U.S. Customs and Border Protection to implement ACE ESAR A2 filer-by-filer over a period of time (e.g. 6-8 weeks), instead of flipping a switch to a new process for all customs entry filers, or phasing the system in port-by-port. This will give filers time to test the stability of their systems, prevent undue disruption, etc. In addition, CBP officials state that the target implementation date of ESAR A2 has changed from October 2008 to 2009 or beyond; however, some applications within the module could be implemented sooner. (American Shipper, 08/07/07, www.americanshipper.com )
Reuters reports that Congress will try to approve the free trade agreement with Peru in September. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman, Charles Rangel, says there is broad congressional support for the FTA but did not state whether Peru's legislature had agreed to implement labor reforms before Congress voted on the FTA, a stipulation made earlier by Democrats. (Reuters, dated 08/06/07, available at http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN06421457)
At the Automated Commercial Environment Exchange VI conference held July 30-August 1, 2007 in Brooklyn, NY, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials discussed the deployment of ACE Entry Summary, Accounts, and Revenue (ESAR) A1, which is currently scheduled to be deployed on August 25, 20071.