A group of U.S. solar panel producers is seeking new antidumping and countervailing duty orders on crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells and modules from the same four Southeast Asian countries that Commerce recently found were circumventing AD/CVD on solar cells from China (see 2308180044).
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.
Hemp cones, tubes and wraps marketed for use with “tobacco-free herbal blends” and featuring warning statements that they shouldn’t be used with illegal drugs or tobacco aren’t restricted merchandise and may be imported into the U.S., CBP said in a recent ruling.
Former top officials in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative during the Trump and Biden administrations said there will be no return to a pre-Trumpian, pro-free trade philosophy, whether Joe Biden wins re-election this fall or Donald Trump returns to the White House in 2025.
FORT LAUDERDALE -- While CBP's Entry Type 86 pilot has allowed customs brokers to handle low value shipments, the agency also is seeing filers "abusing" the test by filing unverified data and pricing out other brokers who can't compete with the low fees the bad actors are charging, said CBP acting Commissioner Troy Miller in remarks at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America annual conference April 17.
After October's deadline passed without an agreement between the U.S. and the EU on a global trade deal for steel and aluminum (see 2404040034), talks are still ongoing, the European Commission’s top trade official said during a news conference April 18.
FORT LAUDERDALE -- CBP in the final review and selection stage" for accreditors of continuing education for customs brokers, and will announce "in the coming months" the start date for broker continuing education requirements, the number of hours required for this triennial reporting period and the names of the approved accreditors, said Shari McCann, director of CBP's Cargo Security and Controls Division, on April 17.
FORT LAUDERDALE -- CBP is expanding its partnership with the Homeland Security Investigations Cyber Crimes Unit, and is including large brokers and software developers in the effort to use "these HSI resources to help identify cyber attacks before they happen, said Shari McCann, director of commercial operations for CBP's Office of Trade.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai gave testimony April 17 to the Senate Finance Committee regarding President Joe Biden’s 2024 trade policy agenda. She touched mainly on trade deal enforcement, U.S. exporters’ access to new markets and the USTR’s new stance on digital trade, though she also discussed issues such as forced labor and the upcoming legislation on the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is beginning a new Section 301 investigation on alleged unfair practices in China’s maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors, the agency said in a news release April 17.