The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a list of countries that have imposed bans or have bans pending on U.S. poultry, and/or poultry products, and/or live poultry, etc.
WTO News states that the World Trade Organization's (WTO) General Council has given Cambodia another six months (to March 31, 2004) to ratify its membership agreement and join the WTO. (WTO News, dated 02/11/04, available at http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news04_e/gc_cambodia/11Feb04_.e.htm
The Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (COAC) held a quarterly meeting on February 6, 2004 in Washington, DC to discuss, and receive updates from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials on, various customs and trade issues.
According to The Wall Street Journal, pressures are building within China's economy to re-examine the Chinese currency's tether on the U.S. dollar, with a loosening looking more like a matter of when, rather than if. The U.S., the European Union and other trading partners have urged China to let the yuan float, contending that the currency is undervalued and fueling a predatory export boom. (WSJ 02/13/04, www.wsj.com )
On May 20, 2003, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a proposed rule to require imported solid wood packing material (SWPM) to be either heat treated or fumigated with methyl bromide, as well as marked, prior to importation, in accordance with an international standard entitled "Guidelines for Regulating Wood Packaging Material in International Trade" that was approved by the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) on March 15, 2002.
The USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has issued a notice stating that based upon the results of a review, it has determined that the Cotton Research and Promotion Order (Cotton Order) should be continued without change.
The Washington Post reports that calls are mounting from abroad for efforts to stem the fall in the U.S. dollar, especially against the euro, but U.S. officials are showing no sign of changing their stance that the dollar's value should be left to the markets. The article notes that the flip side of the strong euro is the weak dollar, which is helping to stoke the U.S. recovery by boosting American exports. (WP, dated 02/03/04, www.washingtonpost.com)
The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has announced that, effective February 2, 2004, a new security system went into place for its office. According to the announcement, in order to gain access to the 9th and 10th floors of the FMC's building, visitors must check in with the building security force and have one of the guards call the office or employee the visitor wishes to see. Visitors will be required to have an appropriate escort to gain access to the 9th and 10th floors of the building. See FMC announcement for further details. (FMC announcement available at http://www.fmc.gov/New%20Security%20Notice.htm)
The Journal of Commerce (JoC) has reported that the new hours of service (HOS) rules governing the number of hours commercial truck drivers may work , could worsen the driver shortage and possibly drive more long-haul traffic to intermodal rail, among other things. JoC adds that shippers may face higher freight rates and may have to take over loading/unloading so that drivers can get back on the road more quickly. (See ITT's Online Archives or 12/04/03, 03120410, for BP summary.) (JoC Pub dated 01/12-18/04, www.joc.com)
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has announced that the U.S. and Bahrain were scheduled to launch negotiations on a free trade agreement on January 26, 2004 to lower tariffs and barriers and expand trade between the two countries. According to the press release, subsequent negotiation rounds will alternate between the U.S. and Bahrain with a goal of completing the negotiations by the end of 2004. (USTR press release dated 01/26/04, http://www.ustr.gov/releases/2004/01/04-05.pdf.)