A former Mexican economy secretary, Ildefonso Guajardo, who oversaw the NAFTA renegotiation, said Mexico's current administration has not complied with the energy provisions in the trade agreement, and has "tried to disrupt trade in corn, using excuses of sanitary issues" and genetic modifications. He said in both cases, the trade disagreements "have become part of the full political negotiation" that includes migration and also includes fentanyl and security issues.

The Court of International Trade on Aug. 16 denied a motion by importer Wanxiang America to dismiss a penalty case related to its alleged misclassification and failure to pay associated antidumping duties on tapered roller bearings.

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DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller must respond to allegations of forced labor used in imported cocoa from Côte d’Ivoire by seven major chocolate companies, the International Rights Advocates (IRAdvocates) said in its Aug. 15 complaint at the Court of International Trade. The suit aims to force DHS and CBP to issue a decision in response to a 2020 petition filed by IRAdvocates along with Corporate Accountability Lab, and the University of California Irvine Law School's Human Rights Clinic (UCI) (International Rights Advocates v. Alejandro Mayorkas and Troy Miller, CIT # 23-00165).

First Solar, a U.S.-based solar panel manufacturer, said a third-party audit found that its factories in Malaysia had workers who were victims of forced labor. The company disclosed the finding in its 2023 sustainability report, adding that some of its migrant employees were "subjected to unethical recruitment," passport retention practices and "unlawful retention of wages."

The Federal Maritime Commission is investigating the Mediterranean Shipping Company for violating U.S. shipping regulations, including by using “overbroad” merchant clauses in its bills of lading, mishandling fees and failing to publish tariff rates. The agency may fine MSC if it determines the carrier violated the Shipping Act.

A bipartisan duo introduced a bill in the House that would not allow future Section 232 tariffs or quotas without congressional approval, and would give Congress the ability to end the current steel and aluminum tariffs and quotas.

Mexico's Foreign Affairs Secretary Alicia Bárcena, on her first trip to Washington, put USMCA first in her list of priorities, saying that in the less than 14 months left in the administration she is part of, she wants "to be able to bring certainty" in the NAFTA replacement, and to engage across all three countries in various sectors. "It's very important to consolidate this very important economic framework, and to make sure even if we are leaving in 13 months that this can remain as a powerful ... mechanism of trade and investment and economic development and partnership," she said at the Atlantic Council Aug. 10.

Regulatory agencies involved in trade again added relatively few new rulemakings to their regulatory agendas for spring 2023, but FDA, the Food Safety and Inspection Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the State Department all included new proposed rules or moved forward existing rulemakings that could affect imports.

International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.