The office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is requesting comments on the "operation, effectiveness, implementation of and compliance with" U.S. telecommunications product and services provisions in U.S. international trade agreements. USTR seeks input by Jan. 3, 2014 on the following specific areas:

The U.S. Trade Representative is setting the eligibility for preferential tariff rates for sugar, syrup, and sugar products from Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Morocco, Nicaragua, Peru, and Panama. Under free trade agreements with those countries, sugar and sugar products from a given country aren't eligible for duty-free treatment or preferential tariff rates if that country's imports of sugar and sugar products exceed its exports -- a "negative surplus." USTR made the following determinations for calendar year 2014:

The U.S. Trade Representative extended the Section 301 investigation of Ukraine for three months, pledging to make a determination by Feb. 28, 2014, on Ukrainian intellectual property rights (IPR) violations. Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 permits the U.S. to retaliate against unfair trade practices (here). USTR launched the investigation in May, labeling Ukraine a priority foreign country. “This designation is the culmination of several years of growing concern over widespread IP theft, including the growing entrenchment of IPR infringement that is facilitated by government actors,” the USTR report said at the time (here). Further information: Elizabeth Kendall, 202-395-3580, Isabella Detwiler, 202-395-6146, or Shannon Nestor, 202-395-3150.

South Korea intends to hold preliminary talks with Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries aimed at joining the negotiations, said the U.S. Trade Representative said in a Nov. 29 statement. The U.S. continues to target the end of 2013 for conclusion of TPP negotiations among the current 12 participant nations (see 13112924).

The Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang spoke with Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman via telephone on Nov. 26, the official Chinese government press news agency, Xinhua, said in a release. The officials discussed preparations for the upcoming 24th Session of China-U.S. Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT). The office of the USTR declined to comment.

The U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman will travel to Vietnam Dec. 1 and Malaysia Dec. 2 for Trans-Pacific Partnership meetings, the office of the USTR said in a press release. Froman will then attend the World Trade Organization 9th ministerial summit in Bali Dec. 3-6, said the USTR.

Certain Indonesian tin and Thai copper alloys, along with a host of other products currently eligible for duty free status in the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), are in jeopardy of being removed from the GSP system, due to excessive proportionate import, said the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). Should GSP eligible products from a specific country exceed 50 percent of total U.S. imports of that product, the product must be removed from GSP status, unless the president waives the competitive need limitations (CNLs).

The U.S. and Bangladesh signed on Nov. 25 an economic pact that provides an avenue to discuss actions needed to restore Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) status for Bangladesh, said a U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) spokeswoman. The Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum Agreement (TICFA) builds off a Bangladesh GSP Action published by the administration in July, said the spokesman, which seeks to increase Bangladeshi government inspection of manufacturing facilities and improve freedom of association (here).

Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade officials concluded negotiations in Salt Lake City Nov. 24, making “significant progress” in areas such as intellectual property protection, market access, state-owned enterprises, sanitary and phytosanitary issues, government procurement, technical barriers to trade and rules of origin, said the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). The talks began Nov. 19 (see 13110110). The talks paved the way for additional progress at the upcoming TPP ministerial summit in Singapore, said USTR. U.S. trade officials, including USTR chief Michael Froman, continue to eye the end of 2013 for conclusion of TPP negotiations (see 13111516). Despite recent speculation on Dec. 7-10 as the dates for the ministerial summit, the USTR did not respond for comment.

The Information Technology Agreement (ITA) expansion plans collapsed in Geneva on Nov. 21, an Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) official and key U.S. negotiator said in a Nov. 21 blogpost (here). U.S. negotiators previously targeted the addition of a host of products and product lines to the agreement among 70 nations (here), but the Chinese refusal to concede coverage areas forced negotiations into suspension, said the ITI official.