On Jan. 24, the FDA posted new and revised versions of the following Import Alerts on the detention without physical examination of:
U.S. negotiators will travel to Kenya to have talks under the Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership at the end of the month. "The negotiators last met in person under the STIP in October 2023 in Washington, DC, and have continued to make progress in deepening mutual understanding and resolving differences," the Office of U.S. Trade Representative said. The discussions will cover agriculture, good regulatory practices and workers' rights, it said.
A listing of recent Commerce Department antidumping and countervailing duty messages posted on CBP's website Jan. 24, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at CBP's ADCVD Search page.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
The Court of International Trade on Jan. 25 said importer Fraserview Remanufacturing Inc. didn't need a protest to file suit at the trade court for its entries that were erroneously deemed liquidated while liquidation was suspended. Judge Timothy Reif said that because the statute for deemed liquidation requires the that entries not be suspended, CBP's notices of deemed liquidation didn't operate to actually liquidate the entries.
Rimon Law added two partners and one associate to its international trade practice, the firm said. The new partners are James Min, former global chair of international trade law for the DHL Group and Mi-Yong Kim, former partner at LimNexus. The firm also added Chelsea Ellis, former LimNexus associate, as an associate. Rimon also announced the launch of its export controls and economic sanctions practice. Ellis, Kim and Min join partner Daanish Hamid in that practice. Sandra Bell, former deputy assistant commissioner at CBP's Office of International Trade, also recently joined the firm (see 2401120064).
U.S. Importer CertiFit continued to accuse Evergreen Shipping Agency of violating the Shipping Act, saying in a reply brief this week to the Federal Maritime Commission that Evergreen Shipping gave unreasonable preference to other shippers, unreasonably refused to deal or negotiate and failed to establish "just and reasonable practices" with its cargo. CertiFit also said the FMC has jurisdiction over the case because Evergreen Shipping is a common carrier, one of the main arguments disputed by Evergreen Shipping.
A retail analyst at the Center for Data Innovation, a think tank that promotes using data to form policymaking, says that while bills in Congress that would exclude China and mandate more data collection for de minimis shipments could be useful, "they do not address the root problem which is that Congress did not create the de minimis exemption so that high-volume sellers could avoid import duties and customs inspections."
The U.S. says its "mini deal" approach is better than traditional free trade deals, because of their speed and focus on current problems, and while two trade experts didn't dismiss FTAs as a 20th-century tool, they acknowledged those advantages mean mini deals are here to stay.
The International Trade Commission announced the beginning of a Section 337 investigation of allegations that imports of Ericsson 5G cellular base station communication equipment infringe patents held by Motorola Mobility (ITC Inv. No. 337-TA-1388), the ITC said in a notice released Jan. 24. In a complaint filed Dec. 15 (see 2312270058), Motorola said Ericsson and its affiliates’ 5G NR radio units and baseband units, used by wireless carriers to build and maintain 5G cellular networks, copy Motorola’s patented technologies related to the 5G NR technology, which provides “better performance, reliability, and efficiency in 5G communication.” The ITC will consider a limited exclusion order and cease and desist orders against the following respondents: