Trade professionals and a trade scholar, talking on a panel that compared the Trump and Biden administrations' trade policies, said that not as much has changed on trade as might have been expected. Christine McDaniel, an economist at George Mason University, said she doesn't expect any of the Section 301 tariffs or the steel and aluminum tariffs to be lifted before the end of 2021. "I haven’t seen any indication they’re going to pull back on the tariffs," she said during a seminar at the Virginia Small Business Development Center on Sept. 21. "I’ve heard people say that the Trump trade policy is just being continued by the Biden administration, minus the rhetoric. You can make the argument for that."
FDA is working with CBP to conduct a pilot on the use of blockchain and cloud technologies to trace food supply chains “from farm to importation,” said Dawne Hines, director of the FDA Division of Northeast Imports, July 22 during CBP’s Virtual Trade Week. The proof of concept aims to aid “government to government communications,” reduce data duplication and move toward the future elimination of paper, she said.
The rules for forced labor documentation will likely become as detailed as the rules on conflict mineral reporting, Angelica Tsakiridis, a senior manager at Deloitte, said July 1 at a virtual conference hosted by the American Importers and Exporters Association. CBP has been working on a rulemaking around forced labor for years (see 1805100026), but it remains to be seen whether documentation requirements will be included.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from April 19-23 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
New authorized economic operator or trusted trader programs aimed at increasing data sharing within e-commerce are among the options suggested for reducing the information gaps at CBP, in a new report led by the University of Houston. “The team found that providing AEO certification to compliant stakeholders and developing a new federated data platform and information and communications technology infrastructure can both increase the probability of CBP gaining accurate data as well as increase economic efficiency for customers, importers and other relevant stakeholders,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a news release. The report was prepared by the Borders, Trade, and Immigration Institute at the University of Houston, which is sponsored by the DHS Science & Technology Directorate.
CBP is moving away from relying on blockchain for its trade processing "for a number of reasons and moving more toward interoperability," Vincent Annunziato, director of CBP’s business transformation office, told an April 22 meeting of the Commerce Department's Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness. "One of the reasons we are moving into interoperability is not to not invest in blockchain, but to allow private sector, all of you, to invest in the technologies that you would like to use in order to communicate with the government," he said. CBP has been looking into making use of the technology for several years (see 1711080023).
CBP is preparing a ruling on whether electronic signatures may be used for issuing an import power-of-attorney, said Emily Simon, chief of the agency's Trade and Commercial Regulations Branch. The Entry Process and Duty Refunds Branch, as well as the Broker Management Branch, are reviewing the matter, she told a March 3 Airforwarders Association virtual event. “My understanding is that we have a ruling being developed right now to address the use of an electronic signature under certain circumstances, but not necessarily all of them in that one particular ruling,” she said. Simon said she couldn't go into more detail because it falls outside her role at CBP.
The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) for CBP will next meet remotely on March 17, CBP said in a notice. Comments are due in writing by March 16.
CBP recently finished a “final draft” of a document creating a 21st Century Customs Framework, Vincent Annunziato, director of CBP’s business transformation office, said during the American Association of Exporters and Importers virtual conference Aug. 19. The draft includes five pillars: Enhance Facilitation and Security, Define Customs and Trade Responsibilities, Ensure Seamless Data Sharing, Employ Intelligent Enforcement, and Protect and Enhance Customs Infrastructure Through Secure Funding, he said. CBP said last year it hoped to begin introducing some policy changes around the framework this year (see 1907250028).
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters: