The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has issued a notice that will be published in the January 23, 2004 Federal Register announcing the cancellation of the export visa and ELVIS (Electronic Visa Information System) requirements for imports of Chinese origin cotton/man-made fiber (MMF) knit fabric (category 222), cotton/MMF brassieres and other body supporting garments (category 349/649), and cotton/MMF dressing gowns and robes (category 350/650) that were to have taken effect for exports on or after January 23, 2004.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a proposed rule to amend its regulations at 7 CFR 319.56 on the importation of fruits and vegetables.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has issued a circular urging SOLAS Contracting Governments, port authorities, classification societies, recognized security organizations, training institutions and all other parties concerned to redouble their efforts to protect shipping against terrorism by taking action as soon as possible to ensure compliance with the requirements of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code) and SOLAS Chapter XI-2 before these new maritime security measures enter into force on July 1, 2004.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a notice regarding the appeals period for questions on the October 2003 Customs broker exam.

The Editor's page in the weekly Journal of Commerce opines that although the voluntary C-TPAT program has achieved much by responding swiftly to the change in national priorities that followed September 11, it may be time to move on, and work toward formalizing regulations for C-TPAT. The editorial adds that regulations may be needed as it makes little sense to require the use of smart containers through a voluntary C-TPAT program, as there is no guarantee firms will adopt them. (JoC, January 19-25, 2004, www.joc.com )

The State Department has issued a final rule, effective January 7, 2004, which amends the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to allow a change in jurisdiction for certain quartz rate sensors (QRS) from the State Department's U.S. Munitions List (USML) to the Commerce Department's Commerce Control List (CCL) in certain circumstances only.

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has issued an interim final rule, effective January 16, 2004, which amends the Chemical Weapons Convention Regulations (CWCR) in 15 CFR Part 711 by adding instructions on how to obtain authorization from BIS to make electronic submissions of declarations and reports required under the CWCR through the Web-Data Entry System for Industry (Web-DESI), etc.

CBP has issued messages on a number of antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CV) duty actions, many of which (marked by an * in the action column) were previously published in the Federal Register by the International Trade Administration (ITA) and summarized in International Trade Today.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a set of responses to 18 "technical" frequently asked questions (FAQ) related to the Sea Automated Manifest System (AMS) Special Bill process (the new non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC) and Master vessel operating common carrier (VOCC) bill types).

The Commerce Department's Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) has issued its November 2003 Textiles and Apparel Import Report, which includes statistics on general imports (both quota and non-quota) of cotton, wool, man-made fiber, silk blend, and non-cotton vegetable fiber textiles and apparel.