On February 28, 2012 Commerce Secretary Bryson held a joint meeting of the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee and the Export Promotion Cabinet to discuss strategic priorities for promoting trade and U.S. exports and receive input on new initiatives. He highlighted the progress with the National Export Initiative and the need to strengthen efforts to continue to increase U.S. exports. The groups discussed the President’s Executive Order establishing the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center, which will be the primary forum for the federal government to coordinate enforcement of international and domestic trade rules.
Brian Feito
Brian Feito, Managing Editor, International Trade Today, Export Compliance Daily and Trade Law Daily. A licensed customs broker who spent time at the Department of Commerce calculating antidumping and countervailing duties, Brian covers a wide range of subjects including customs and trade-facing product regulation, the courts, antidumping and countervailing duties and Mexico and the European Union. Brian is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason University. He joined the staff of Warren Communications News in 2012.
The International Trade Administration has issued the final results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on steel wire garment hangers from China (A-570-918) which sets an AD cash deposit rate for one exporter and continues the China-wide cash deposit rate from the last review for others. These rates, which are effective March 1, 2012, are expected to be implemented by U.S. Customs and Border Protection soon.
The International Trade Administration has issued the final results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain steel nails from China (A-570-909) which sets the AD cash deposit rate for 18 exporters and continues the China-wide cash deposit rate from the last review for others. These rates, which are effective March 1, 2012, are expected to be implemented by U.S. Customs and Border Protection soon.
On February 29, 2012 the following trade-related bills and resolutions were introduced:
During the February 29, 2012 House Ways and Means Committee hearing on the President’s trade agenda, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk testified that the U.S. is working with the governments of Columbia and Panama to fulfill their commitments so their free trade agreements can take effect soon. He stated that the administration wants to conclude the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks this year with an agreement that will address cross-cutting issues such as promoting regulatory coherence among countries, enhancing the participation of small businesses in Asia-Pacific trade, and building regional supply chains that promote U.S. jobs.
The Foreign Trade Zones Board has issued a final rule, effective April 30, 20121, to comprehensively revise and update the Foreign Trade Zone regulations in 15 CFR Part 400. Key revisions in the final rule pertain to activities in and procedures for zones in which an imported component is combined with one or more other components to create a different finished product, and expedited access to FTZ benefits for U.S. manufacturers.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service reports that the Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Codex Task Force on Animal Feeding concluded its Sixth Session in Berne, Switzerland on February 24, 2012. The Task Force focused on drafting Proposed Guidelines on the Application of Risk Assessment for Feed and the proposed Prioritized List of Hazards in Feed.
The International Trade Administration has published its quarterly list of (i) completed antidumping and countervailing duty scope rulings and anticircumvention determinations; and (ii) pending scope inquiries and anticircumvention rulings.
The International Trade Administration has initiated an administrative review for certain firms subject to the antidumping duty order on wooden bedroom furniture from China. The ITA intends to issue the final results of this review not later than January 31, 2013.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, together with more than 30 trade associations and business groups, sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on DOJ’s expected guidance on enforcement under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The letter calls for DOJ to address key definitions under the statute, corporate compliance programs in enforcement decisions, and parent-subsidiary and successor liability, and to establish an exception for de minimis gifts, among other considerations.