The International Trade Administration issued the initiation and preliminary results of its antidumping duty changed circumstances review of stainless steel bar from Japan (A-588-833), in response to a request by U.S. importer of subject merchandise Suruga USA Corp. that the ITA revoke, in part, the AD order with respect to three types of stainless steel bar that are subject to the AD order at issue (one Grade 304 product and two Grade 440C products). The ITA said the domestic industry has affirmatively expressed a lack of interest in the continuation of the order with respect to this product. Therefore, The ITA intends to revoke, in part, the AD order as it relates to imports of the connector described above from China.
The scope of the antidumping duty order on non-malleable cast iron pipe fittings from China (A-570-875) was amended by the International Trade Administration in the final results of an AD changed circumstances review, to exclude a certain brake fluid tube connector. The review, initiated in response to a request by Ford Motor Co., also revokes the AD order, in part, retroactive to April 1, 2011, for the particular brake fluid tube connector removed from the scope. The connector is a “joint block” for brake fluid tubes and is made of non-malleable cast iron to Society of Automotive Engineers (SEA) automotive standard J431. The ITA will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to liquidate without regard to antidumping duties, as applicable, and to refund any estimated antidumping duties collected for all unliquidated entries of the connector, made on or after April 1, 2011.
On May 25, 2012, the Food and Drug Administration posted new and revised versions of the following Import Alerts on the detention without physical examination of:
On May 25, 2012, the Foreign Agricultural Service issued the following GAIN reports:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a new Dashboard that allows users to view volume and price information from boxed beef markets that can be customized and downloaded. With the addition of boxed beef, the AMS Livestock Dashboard now provides weekly data on boxed beef, cattle, hogs and sheep covered by Livestock Mandatory Reporting. Modeled after the other Dashboards, the new Boxed Beef Dashboard includes the same types of interactive features for querying and viewing information, such as navigation tabs, slide bars, graphs, tables, daily market tickers, and downloading capabilities. The Boxed Beef Dashboard is available here.
A treatment schedule for methyl bromide fumigation of cottonseed for the fungal plant pathogen Fusarium oxysporumf. sp. vasinfectum (FOV) was added to the Plant Protection and Quarantine Treatment Manual, said the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. APHIS also prepared a treatment evaluation document that describes the new treatment schedule and says APHIS determined that it is effective at neutralizing FOV, certain strains of which are quarantine pests, and is requesting comments on its treatment schedule by July 30.
The International Trade Administration announced a Trade Mission to South Africa and Zambia November 26--30, 2012, to help U.S. firms find business partners and sell equipment and services in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa, and Lusaka, Zambia. Targeted sectors include electric power and energy efficiency technologies, equipment and services; productivity enhancing agricultural technologies and equipment; transportation equipment and infrastructure; and mining equipment and technology. This mission will be led by a senior Department of Commerce official and will include business-to-business matchmaking with local companies, market briefings, and meetings with key government officials.
The Bureau of Industry and Security said the Regulations and Procedures Technical Advisory Committee (RPTAC) will hold a partially open meeting on June 12, 2012. The public session's agenda will include an export enforcement update, regulations update, working group reports, an Automated Export System update, and presentations of papers or comments by the public. The open session will be accessible via teleconference to 20 participants on a first come, first serve basis. To join via teleconference, submit inquiries by June 5, 2012. A limited number of seats will also be available for the public session.
Ericsson de Panama S.A. of Panama City, Panama, agreed to pay a civil penalty of $1.753 million to settle 262 violations of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), said the Bureau of Industry and Security. According to BIS, Ericsson de Panama knowingly implemented a scheme between 2004 and 2007 to route items from Cuba through Panama, repackaged the items to conceal their Cuban markings, forwarded the items to the U.S. for repair and replacement and then returned the items to Cuba. Classified under Export Control Classification Numbers 5A002, 4A994, 5A991, 5B991 or designated EAR99, the items’ distribution to Cuba were controlled for national security, antiterrorism, encryption, and sanctions reasons.
On May 25, 2012, the Treasury Department issued its semiannual "Report to Congress on International Economic and Exchange Rate Policies," which reports, among other things, that China is not manipulating its currency, but the appreciation of the renminbi (RMB, or yuan) to date is insufficient. Treasury said it will closely monitor the pace of the RMB's appreciation and press China for policy changes that yield more exchange rate flexibility, a level playing field, and a sustained shift to domestic demand-led growth.