The Congressional Research Service has issued a report entitled, "U.S. Trade Statutes: Expiration Dates and Mandated Periodic Reports to Congress" to assist Congress in exercising its oversight responsibilities regarding foreign trade.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has published a notice and warning list providing interim 2007 import statistics -- based on the first 8 months of 2007 -- relating to the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Competitive Need Limitations (CNLs) for 156 country/tariff number combinations.
The International Trade Commission has issued a press release announcing that it is seeking input for the newly initiated investigation (332-493) concerning possible modifications to the Generalized System of Preferences as a result of the 2007 GSP Annual Review.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative recently issued a notice announcing the eleven product1 and seven country practice petitions that were accepted for the 2007 Generalized System of Preferences Annual Review, and setting forth the schedule for comments and public hearings on these petitions.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted a document to its Web site that provides side-by-side comparisons of the Generalized System of Preferences and U.S. free trade agreements (FTAs) including the North American Free Trade Agreement, U.S.-Singapore FTA, U.S.-Chile FTA, U.S.-Australia FTA, and the U.S.-Dominican Republic-Central America FTA.1
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has issued a notice announcing the eleven product and seven country practice petitions that are accepted for further review in the 2007 Generalized System of Preferences Annual Review, and setting forth the schedule for comments and public hearings on these petitions.
The following have recently been posted to CBP's Web site:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a general notice announcing that effective August 20, 2007, it has expanded the processes that are supported in the Automated Commercial Environment e-Manifest: Truck system.
e-Cargonews Asia reports that the container lines in transpacific trade have raised concerns that Asia's port congestion and U.S. transportation costs and road-rail capacity threaten to disrupt the current peak season. With carriers reporting ship utilization rates of 95% or higher from Asia on all route segments, the Asia-U.S. supply chain infrastructure is almost operating at capacity and shipping executives are getting nervous. (e-Cargonews Asia, dated 08/09/07, available at http://www.cargonewsasia.com/secured/article.aspx?id=3&article=13743)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an ABI administrative message regarding Presidential Proclamation 8157 which was recently published in the Federal Register and modifies duty-free under the Generalized System of Preferences, designates Mauritania as an African Growth and Opportunity beneficiary country, and makes technical changes to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule.