West Virginia signed an economic memorandum of understanding with Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade to bolster trade between the two parties. The MOU will establish a working group to promote economic ties and provide a framework to deepen industry ties on energy and other sectors.
The Federal Trade Commission is finalizing new EnergyGuide labeling requirements for portable air conditioners. Beginning Oct. 1, 2022, manufacturers must attach yellow EnergyGuide labels to portable air conditioners, and sellers must post label information to their websites and catalogs. The label will be similar to the current room air conditioner label in content and format, the FTC said in a final rule published Feb. 12.
Labor and civil society representatives, along with a former Democratic House Ways and Means Committee staffer, said dramatic changes are needed in the trading system, not just tweaks, to make trade a force for good in the world.
The International Trade Commission recently posted Revision 3 to the preliminary edition of the 2021 Harmonized Tariff Schedule. Changes include implementation of extended and revised Section 201 safeguards on large residential washers, as announced in a proclamation issued by former President Donald Trump in mid-January (see 2101150049). Minor changes are also made to an exclusion from Section 301 China tariffs for supported catalysts with zinc oxide as the active substance.
Former U.S. trade representatives and think tank scholars at the Center for Strategic and International Studies say that a revised antidumping and countervailing duty law, which would allow the mere threat of harm, rather than evidence of harm, before the imposition of defensive tariffs, is needed to restore political support for globalization. In addition, they think the U.S. should revive a China-specific safeguard, and encourage other market economies to create their own versions.
The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America issued several tips for industry dealing with unfair detention and demurrage fees. In a Feb. 1 email to industry, the group said shippers and traders should try to work out a “satisfactory arrangement” with the billing party and should reference the Federal Maritime Commission’s guidance on fees (see 2009140045 and 2011170041). If a “reasonable solution” can’t be reached, the NCBFAA recommends reaching out to FMC’s Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services and sending a report to the FMC, which is reviewing the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on ocean transportation (see 2012180038 and 2011200024). The group also recommends bringing a formal case before the FMC if fees climb higher than six figures.
Economics Professor Mary Lovely, who studies multinationals' operations in China, told the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission that the trade war didn't make the U.S. less reliant on China, and that export controls designed to isolate China have not been effective, either. She noted that China is still the top exporter to the U.S., and their goods make up 17% of U.S. imports. The Commission met online Jan. 28.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is removing the Interior least tern (Sternula antillarum), a bird native to the central U.S., from the Endangered and Threatened Wildlife List, it said in a final rule. Threats to the species have been “eliminated or reduced to the point that the species no longer meets the definition of an endangered species or threatened species,” FWS said. Interior least terns are primarily fish-eaters. The delisting takes effect Feb. 12.
The International Trade Commission on Jan. 11 posted Revision 2 to the 2021 Harmonized Tariff Schedule, implementing an increase in tariffs on goods of the European Union that takes effect Jan. 12 (see 2012310010). The ITC added new U.S. Note 21(s) to describe fortified wines and grape spirits from France and Germany that are newly subject to 25% Section 301 tariff under new subheading 9903.89.57.The note also describes grape spirits that are not subject to the additional tariffs, but which nonetheless are given their own Chapter 99 subheading at 9903.89.59. Similarly, the ITC also added new U.S. Note 21(t) to describe aircraft manufacturing parts from France and Germany subject to the additional 15% tariff under subheading 9903.89.61. The new note also describes aircraft manufacturing parts that are not covered by the new tariffs, which should be filed under new subheading 9903.89.63.
In another round of investigations designed to address the complaint that antidumping and countervailing duty cases aren't effective in the matter of imported produce that only affects one region, the International Trade Commission announced Jan. 8 that it is opening investigations of the effect on imported cucumbers and squash “with a particular focus on production and competitiveness of such products grown in the Southeastern United States.” The ITC will track trends in trade in these products, monthly price trends, and the prices of domestically grown and imported squash and cucumbers from 2015 to 2020. It will hold a public hearing on April 8 by videoconference, with information on how to participate to be posted on the ITC website later, but before March 11. Requests to appear at the hearing, which can be filed in the Electronic Document Information System, must be filed by 5:15 p.m. on March 25. The ITC report will be sent to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative by Dec. 7, 2021.