On March 17, 2004, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a message from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stating that the technical problems with FDA's OASIS, which had recently prevented the processing of entry submissions from ABI, including the return of Prior Notice (PN) confirmation numbers, has been resolved.

On March 4, 2004, the Senate passed its version of H.R. 1047, the "Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2003."

The Washington Trade Daily (WTD) reports that the AFL-CIO has filed a Section 301 petition with the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) urging bilateral negotiations with China to correct what it believes are China's inadequate labor practices and laws. The AFL-CIO asserts that these practices and laws are tantamount to unfair trade practices. (WTD Pub 03/17/04, www.washingtontradedaily.com)

In the March 10, 2004 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (CBPBulletin) (Vol. 38, No. 11), CBP issued notices (a) proposing to revoke a classification ruling on plastic identification badges, and (b) proposing to revoke a classification ruling regarding radar apparatus that measures liquid levels. CBP states that it is also proposing to revoke any treatment it has previously accorded to substantially identical transactions that are contrary to its position in these notices.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site a notice announcing a "special import quota" which specifies a quota of 27,202,732 kg for upland cotton purchased not later than June 15, 2004 and entered under HTS 9903.52.10. The quota period is March 18, 2004 through September 13, 2004; opening day is March 18, 2004 at 12 noon, E.S.T., or its equivalent in other time zones.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued a notice stating that at the request of the respondent, Qingdao Wenkem (F.T.Z.) Trading Company Limited (QWTC), it has postponed the final antidumping (AD) duty determination on tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol from China until no later than June 10, 2004.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a press release and fact sheet announcing that on March 15, 2004, the U.S. and the Dominican Republic concluded negotiations integrating the Dominican Republic into the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued its weekly quota commodity report as of March 15, 2004. This report includes tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) on various products such as beef, tuna, sugar, dairy products, peanuts, cotton, cocoa powder, tobacco, certain JFTA, NAFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA TRQs, etc. This report also includes the AGOA, ATPDEA, CBTPA, NAFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA tariff preference levels (TPLs) for qualifying apparel and/or other textile articles, the TRQs on worsted wool fabrics under HTS 9902.51.11 & 9902.51.12, etc. (CBP's weekly quota commodity report, dated 03/15/04, available at http://www.customs.ustreas.gov/xp/cgov/import/textiles_and_quotas/commodity/)

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a press release announcing that on March 15, 2004 the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), providing a forum for the two countries to examine ways to expand bilateral trade and investment. (Press Release 04-18, dated 03/15/04, available at http://www.ustr.gov/releases/2004/03/04-18.pdf)

¹ The China-wide rate applies to China exporters without separate rates (including