Indonesia has given its customs officials the authority to stop counterfeit goods at the border, and just in 2020, has already seized $1 billion rupiah, or $73,000, worth of counterfeits that were set for export, according to Iwan Freddy Hari Susanto, charge d'affaires for the Indonesian Embassy. He was testifying Jan. 31 at a hearing on Indonesia's eligibility for the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program, and was describing numerous actions the country has taken to improve protections for intellectual property rights holders.
Eliminating Thailand's eligibility for the Generalized System of Preferences program, because of a complaint from pork producers, would hurt U.S. importers more than Thai businesses, one witness said, and would be unlikely to convince the country to allow pigs fed with ractopamine to be imported. China and the European Union also ban meat that was fed the growth-enhancing drug. Dan Anthony, testifying on behalf of the GSP Action Committee, told the panel of government officials that they should put great weight on the potential harm to U.S. importers as they make their decision. He gave the example of a 25-person company that imports from Thailand, and had to pay $60,000 to $70,000 a month in tariffs during the two years GSP was not in force. Once it was renewed, the North Carolina company hired 17 full-time employees, and today, employs 70 people.
The following is a selection of articles that appeared in International Trade Today in 2019 covering ruling letters. CBP frequently publishes rulings months after they are issued, so these articles are included based on the dates the articles were published, rather than the date the ruling letter was issued.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Jan. 20-26:
Congress is examining U.S.-Turkey trade ties -- and the changes to trade policy with Turkey -- more closely, and a recent Congressional Research Service report gives policymakers context for decisions they might make. When Turkey invaded Syria after the U.S. withdrew support for Kurdish forces, there was talk of levying sanctions (see 1910100049, 1910170054 and 1910180060), but since the crisis abated, there was no more discussion of sanctions.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Dec. 23-29:
Ziploc bags are classifiable in the tariff schedule under heading 3923 as articles for the conveyance or packing of goods, rather than as plastic household articles of heading 3924, the Court of International Trade said in a Dec. 16 decision. Though the Ziploc bags could be classifiable in both headings, heading 3923 is more specific and is the correct tariff provision under General Rule of Interpretation 3(a), CIT said.
The Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated with seven rulings on Dec.3. The following headquarters rulings not involving carriers were modified on Dec. 3, according to CBP:
CBP issued the following release on commercial trade and related matters:
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative scheduled a public hearing for Jan. 30, 2020, on whether Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ecuador, Georgia, Indonesia, South Africa and Thailand should stay in the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program, and whether Laos should be added to it. Comments on any of these countries must be submitted by the end of Jan. 17. Worker rights are at issue in the four former Soviet Republics. Market access is a concern in Thailand and Indonesia. The International Intellectual Property Alliance is concerned about South Africa and Indonesia. And Chevron Corporation is petitioning that Ecuador be removed because, in its view, Ecuador for years tried to extort billions of dollars from Chevron for environmental pollution decades ago in the Ecuadorian Amazon, despite the Investor-State Dispute Settlement system panel ruling that the court case against Chevron was a fraud.