CBP released the quarterly IRS interest rates used to calculate interest on overdue accounts (underpayments) and refunds (overpayments) of customs duties. For the quarter that began April 1, the interest rate for overpayments is 7% for corporations and 8% for non-corporations. The rate for underpayments is 8% for both corporations and non-corporations. That's unchanged from the previous quarter.
CBP has released its April 3 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 58, No. 13). While it contains recent court decisions, no customs rulings are included.
In the March 27 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 58, No. 12), CBP published a proposal to revoke and modify ruling letters concerning an absorber crashbox and a ratchet and pawl cargo securing device.
The National Commodity Specialist Division's consumer products and mass merchandising branch has received 237 ruling requests relating to 312 products so far in FY 2024, Steve Mack, the NCSD's director, said at CBP's NCSD Trade Forum April 3. Seventy-six, or 32%, of the ruling requests were subject to trade remedies, while 64, or 27%, of the ruling requests involve country of origin scenarios, Mack said.
Experts invited by Georgetown Law's Center on Inclusive Trade and Development to talk about U.S.-China relations said a truce in the Trump trade war that has continued under President Joe Biden is unlikely, and that the trade war may intensify, no matter who the next president is.
The Canadian Ombudsman for Responsible Enterprise concluded that Dynasty Gold, a mining firm headquartered in British Columbia, allowed Uyghur labor transfers to its joint venture in Xinjiang during 2017-2020, and that such forced labor "may continue to persist" at the Hatu mine in Xinjiang.
The Fish and Wildlife Service will once again automatically apply import and export restrictions to species it designates as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, reinstating its “blanket rule” protections in a final rule released April 2.
The International Trade Commission is preparing for new Chinese export controls on germanium and gallium to have a potentially “significant” impact on global supply chains, it said in a recently issued executive trade briefing (see 2307050018).
The International Trade Commission published notices in the April 2 Federal Register on the following AD/CVD injury, Section 337 patent or other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will be in another ITT article):
The International Trade Commission is beginning a Section 337 investigation on allegations that imports of medical programmers with printed circuit boards from Axonics (ITC Inv. No. 337-TA-1396) infringe on patents held by Medtronic, the ITC said in a notice released April 2. In a complaint filed in early February (see 2403040060), Medtronic said Axonics is importing sacral neuromodulation systems that rely on its patented technology, including devices for use with Axonics’ F15 and R20 sacral neuromodulation systems. The surgically implanted systems are used to control symptoms of overactive bladder, non-obstructive urinary retention, and chronic fecal incontinence through neural stimulation. In the investigation, the ITC will consider whether to issue a limited exclusion order and cease and desist orders banning imports from Axonics.