Imports of sand pears (Pyrus pyrifolia) from China to the U.S. will be allowed, with certain conditions, effective Jan. 18, said the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in a final rule. The conditions will apply to all sand pears imported from China.
The Census Bureau sent out AES Broadcast #2012080 as part of a series of monthly educational broadcast messages on fatal errors in the Automated Export System. This month Census is highlighting AES error codes 111 (U.S. State of Origin Code Must Be “PR”) and 502 (Export Information Code Unknown). The broadcast covers the reasons for these error messages and how to resolve them, as follows:
The Bureau of Industry and Security is asking for comments by Jan, 18 on the impact that implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) has had on commercial activities involving “Schedule 1” chemicals during calendar year 2012. Information collected will be used by BIS to prepare its annual certification to Congress, which is required by the 1997 Senate Resolution giving its advice and consent to the ratification of the CWC.
Compliance and enforcement activities for exports using country-based license exceptions differ only from licensed exports in terms of license application review, vetting parties to transactions, and recordkeeping, said the Government Accountability Office in report on “Export Controls: Compliance and Enforcement Activities and Congressional Notification Requirements under Country-Based License Exemptions.” The report, requested by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Ranking Member Howard Berman (D-Calif.), was compiled in response to concerns about new country-based license exceptions such as the State Department’s defense trade treaties with the U.K. and Australia, as well as the Bureau of Industry and Security’s new Strategic Trade Authorization (STA) license exception.
Japan-based Toyo Ink SC Holdings Co. and affiliates will pay $45 million, plus interest, to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly failing to pay antidumping and countervailing duties, said the Justice Department. DOJ alleged the company misrepresented the country of origin on documents submitted to CBP to avoid paying antidumping and countervailing duties on its imports of carbazole violet pigment number 23 (CVP-23).
The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed and remanded the International Trade Administration’s calculation of Jiangsu Jianghai’s separate rate from the antidumping duty investigation of 1-hydroxyethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid (HEDP) from China (A-570-934). CAFC said the ITA acted arbitrarily when it built a penalty to deter noncompliance into Jiangsu Jinghai’s non-individual separate rate, even though the company cooperated. Judge Reyna dissented, arguing that CAFC improperly expanded Jiangsu Jianghai’s arguments and applied the wrong standard of review, and said the decision will have “grave consequences” on the application of U.S. antidumping statutes.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the International Trade Administration posted to CBP's website Dec. 17, 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 http://1.usa.gov/VxGCVA. (CBP occasionally adds backdated messages without otherwise indicating which message was added. ITT will include a message date in parentheses in such cases.)
The Bureau of Industry and Security finalized its rule amending provisions on Validated End-User notifications, as well as situations where license requirements change for items previously exported under Authorization VEU. The final rule, which is effective Jan 18, makes minor changes to the proposed rule published on April 17.
The U.S. economy “has been marked by slow but steady recovery and some rebalancing since the last Review,” said the World Trade Organization in its trade policy review of the U.S. “Merchandise and services trade figures have rebounded significantly since the 2009 financial crisis and have now reached new peak levels, surpassing previous 2008 peak levels,” it said. While import policy has remained “relatively static” since the last WTO review in 2010, the U.S. has launched several export initiatives, including the National Export Initiative, and Export Control Reform. Preferential trade and Free Trade Agreements account for a large and growing share of U.S. trade, the report said.
Mexico's Diario Oficial of Dec. 17, lists notices from the Secretary of the Economy as follows: