Eight Republicans, led by Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va., asked the Commerce Department to reconsider how importers of hardwood plywood can participate in a certification regime, so that CBP knows those imports are not within the scope of an anti-circumvention case on Vietnamese hardwood plywood with Chinese inputs.
The White House announced Oct. 2 that the president signed the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism Pilot Program Act of 2023, which extends CTPAT membership to 20 third-party logistics providers, half of which should not own warehouses. Both warehousing companies and non-asset-based 3PLs currently aren't allowed to join CTPAT.
A former vice president of international cargo airline Polar Air Cargo Worldwide was sentenced to 32 months in prison on Oct. 1 for his role in scheme to defraud the airline out of more than $32 million in revenue, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced. Ahead of sentencing, the former executive, Abilash Kurien, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
A listing of recent Commerce Department antidumping and countervailing duty messages posted on CBP's website Oct. 1, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at CBP's ADCVD Search page.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
The Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force is adding two more companies to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List, DHS said in a notice released Oct. 2. Two companies based in China, steelmaker Baowu Group Xinjiang Bayi Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. and aspartame producer Changzhou Guanghui Food Ingredients Co., Ltd., are believed to be using labor transfers or sourcing materials from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, respectively. Under UFLPA, CBP applies a rebuttable presumption that goods mined, produced or manufactured by entities on the UFLPA Entity List are made with forced labor and prohibited from importation. The listings, which bring the list to a total of 75 companies, take effect Oct. 3.
The Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force is adding two companies based in China to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List, bringing the total number of entities up to 75, the Department of Homeland Security said in a notice released Oct. 2.
The International Trade Commission published notices in the Oct. 1 Federal Register on the following AD/CVD injury, Section 337 patent or other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will be in another ITT article):
The Commerce Department published notices in the Federal Register Oct. 1 on the following AD/CV duty proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CV duty rates, scope, affected firms or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):
A domestic producer recently filed petitions with the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission requesting new antidumping duties on granular hexamethylenetetramine, known as hexamine, from China, Germany, India, and Saudi Arabia, as well as countervailing duties on hexamine from China and India. Commerce will now decide whether to begin AD/CVD investigations, which could result in the imposition of permanent AD/CVD orders and the assessment of AD and CVD on importers. Bakelite requested the investigation.