Japan, which suffered economic coercion from China earlier than any other country, is largely on the same page as the U.S. when it comes to supply chain resilience and restrictions on exports, but the two diverge in their attitudes about China's role in the global economy.
A retail analyst at the Center for Data Innovation, a think tank that promotes using data to form policymaking, says that while bills in Congress that would exclude China and mandate more data collection for de minimis shipments could be useful, "they do not address the root problem which is that Congress did not create the de minimis exemption so that high-volume sellers could avoid import duties and customs inspections."
The U.S. says its "mini deal" approach is better than traditional free trade deals, because of their speed and focus on current problems, and while two trade experts didn't dismiss FTAs as a 20th-century tool, they acknowledged those advantages mean mini deals are here to stay.
A Federal Maritime Commission hearing on the current conditions in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden will be held Feb. 7 and, if necessary, continue Feb. 8, according to a Federal Register notice. Those who want to testify or submit written testimony must email the FMC secretary before Jan. 31 at 5 p.m. EST, the notice said. The hearing, beginning at 10 a.m., will be held at the Surface Transportation Board in Washington, D.C.
The Energy Department is proposing to amend energy efficiency standards for two categories of fans and blowers. The proposed rule would set more stringent standards for air circulating fans in terms of cubic feet per minute per watt, and also for fans and blowers that are not air circulating fans in terms of fan energy index. Any changes to current standards would apply five years after DOE publishes a final rule to amend them. Comments on the proposal are due March 19.
The Department of Energy is setting new energy efficiency standards for refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers and freezers that will require compliance in 2029 or 2030, depending on the product, it said in a direct final rule published Jan. 17.
Correction: Changes to the tariff schedule resulting from the addition and removal of countries from African Growth and Opportunity Act benefits also affected various other notes in the tariff schedule beyond General Note 16, including U.S. Note 7(a) to Subchapter II of Chapter 98 and U.S. Notes 1 and 2(d) to Subchapter XIX of Chapter 98 (see 2401020049).
The Drug Enforcement Administration is setting 2024 quotas for the manufacture and importation of controlled substances in Schedules I and II of the Controlled Substances Act, it said in a notice released Dec. 29. Substances not listed in the table included in DEA's notice will have a quota of zero. DEA is also setting quotas for the List I chemicals ephedrine, phenylpropanolamine and pseudoephedrine. The order is effective Jan. 3.
The Fish and Wildlife Service released a final rule Dec. 28 listing the black-capped petrel (Pterodroma hasitata), a pelagic seabird species that nests on the island of Hispaniola and spends the rest of its life at sea, as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. New import and export restrictions set by the agency’s final rule take effect Jan. 29.
A former State Department official who advised on sanctions and money laundering, who also is a co-founder of Sayari Labs, a financial intelligence and commercial data provider, said that Hudson Institute will produce a paper on creating a broad sanctions program for China, complete with the kind of language that would allow it to be executive-order ready.