The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative scheduled a March 28 hearing on Generalized System of Preferences country practice reviews of labor practices and intellectual property rights in six countries, including Bangladesh, Georgia, Niger, the Philippines, Russia, and Uzbekistan. USTR also said it decided to close its country practice review on intellectual property rights in Lebanon based on the country’s progress on the issue, and deferred a deferred a decision on accepting a GSP country practice petition on Russia on expropriation.
The International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) asked the USTR to maintain the priority foreign country (PFC) designations for Argentina, Chile, China, Costa Rica, India, Indonesia and Russia. The group also asked USTR to keep 25 nations on its so-called watch list and to restore PFC status to the Ukraine. The USTR-led Special 301 Committee met Feb. 20 whether to designate Ukraine as a PFC, the worst classification for IP protection under the Special 301 statute. The hearing focused on countries believed to deny adequate protection of IP or deny fair and equitable market access to U.S. citizens who rely on intellectual property protection under the so-called "Special 301" provisions of the Trade Act.
Congress should immediately renew the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program, according to a letter sent to members by the National Foreign Trade Council and 137 other companies and associations. It said the GSP program saves American importers hundreds of millions of dollars by eliminating tariffs on imports from about 130 developing countries, but it's scheduled to expire at the end of July. "GSP is a critically important program that helps U.S. companies of all sizes, but particularly small- and medium-sized businesses, access low-cost inputs they need to manufacture a wide range of exports," said NFTC Vice President-Regional Trade Initiatives Chuck Dittrich. The Coalition for GSP released its 2013 GSP Supporter List Feb. 5 (here).
Getting an international playing field that is fair to U.S. trade is the key for American jobs and companies, should be the top priority for the second Obama administration, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said in a new report. It said the U.S. market is largely open to imports, but many other countries continue to levy steep tariffs on U.S. exports, and foreign governments have erected other barriers against U.S. goods and services.
The International Trade Commission is publishing notices in the Jan. 24 Federal Register on the following AD/CV injury, Section 337 patent, and other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will appear in another ITT article):
The International Trade Commission is asking for comments by March 4 in connection with the 2012 Annual Review of the Generalized System of Preferences. The ITC is considering the effects of adding four products to the list of articles eligible for GSP benefits, as well as competitive need limitation waivers on 12 Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheadings for certain countries. The ITC will hold a hearing in connection with its investigation on Feb. 27 in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Trade Representative sent a letter to the International Trade Commission requesting an investigation in connection with the 2012 Annual Review of the Generalized System of Preferences. The USTR requested inquiries into the economic effects of (1) designating four products eligible for GSP benefits; and (2) granting competitive need limitation (CNL) waivers for 12 products. The USTR asked for the results of the investigation by April 10.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative seeks comment by Jan. 31 on whether to recommend that duty-free treatment for imports from Bangladesh under the Generalized Systems of Preferences be withdrawn, suspended or limited because Bangladesh isn't taking steps to give workers internationally recognized worker rights, specifically the rights of association and to organize and bargain collectively.
The International Trade Commission posted the 2013 edition of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, effective Jan. 1. The new HTS implements provisions detailed in Presidential Proclamation 8921, issued Dec. 20, including the removal of African Growth and Opportunity Act beneficiary treatment for Mali and Guinea-Bissau; modifies statistical suffixes throughout the HTS; and corrects and modifies provisions governing treatment of goods entered pursuant to various free trade agreements, to give them the intended tariff treatment.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced the disposition of a petition on pinch-seal plastic bags that were accepted in the 2011 GSP Annual Product Review. It also said those petitions submitted in connection with the 2012 Generalized System of Preferences Annual Product Review which have been accepted for further review and set the schedule for submitting comments and for public hearings associated with the 2012 review of petitions and products.