CBP was to resume on a "limited schedule" commercial operations at the Bridge of the Americas cargo facility Oct. 10, according to an agency news release the previous day.
Major Chinese seafood processing plants are employing Uyghurs that have forcibly been shipped in from Xinjiang, and imports from those plants are likely entering U.S. supply chains, according to a report from the Outlaw Ocean Project that was also published in The New Yorker on Oct. 9. Citing internal company newsletters, local news reports and posts from Uyghur workers on social media, among other things, the report tied use of Uyghur forced labor to processors in China's Shandong province, including Chishan Group, Yantai Sanko Fisheries and Yantai Longwin Foods, as well as Shandong Haidu and Rongcheng Haibo, which together handle 30% of all squid processed in China.
CBP released the quarterly IRS interest rates used to calculate interest on overdue accounts (underpayments) and refunds (overpayments) of customs duties. For the quarter that began Oct. 1, the interest rate for overpayments is 7% for corporations and 8% for non-corporations. The rate for underpayments is 8% for both corporations and non-corporations. That's up from the previous quarter, when rates were 6% for overpayments for corporations, 7% for overpayments for non-corporations, and 7% for underpayments (see 2307050040).
CBP has released its Oct. 4 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 57, No. 36), which includes the following ruling actions:
The Federal Maritime Commission last week dismissed a charge complaint against Mediterranean Shipping Company lodged by SOFi Paper Products after MSC refunded SOFi for a congestion surcharge that allegedly violated U.S. shipping regulations. The FMC also determined no violations "of the Shipping Act were proven in this proceeding."
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
Recent additions to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List (see 2309250033) mark a change in that they include companies that have not previously been on government denied party lists, and the range of commodities being looked at for forced labor violations is being expanded, Ethan Woolley of compliance risk advisory firm Kharon said during a recent webinar.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
Companies should review existing and prospective agreements for potential liability under China's anti-foreign sanctions law, Evan Chuck of Crowell & Moring advised during a Practising Law Institute webinar on Sept. 26.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters: