NEWPORT, Rhode Island -- The nomination of Acting CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan to permanently head the agency represents welcome continuity to CBP and the trade community, government officials and industry executives said at the Coalition of New England Companies for Trade Northeast Trade and Transportation Conference on April 12. For CBP, “having the continuity that he brings from the operational and enforcement piece” and McAleenan’s experience “is going to be great for us,” said Valerie Neuhart, acting director of CBP’s Office of Trade Relations.
Brian Feito
Brian Feito is Managing Editor of International Trade Today, Export Compliance Daily and Trade Law Daily. A licensed customs broker who spent time at the Department of Commerce calculating antidumping and countervailing duties, Brian covers a wide range of subjects including customs and trade-facing product regulation, the courts, antidumping and countervailing duties and Mexico and the European Union. Brian is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason University. He joined the staff of Warren Communications News in 2012.
NEWPORT, Rhode Island -- Mexico hopes formal negotiations with the U.S. and Canada on a revised NAFTA will begin this summer, said Kenneth Smith Ramos, head of the Mexican Ministry of Economy’s trade and NAFTA office, at the Coalition of New England Companies for Trade Northeast Trade and Transportation Conference on April 12. Mexico now welcomes the renegotiation promised by President Donald Trump, seeing it as an opportunity to modernize the 23-year-old agreement, he said. Many provisions of modern free trade agreements, such as rules on intellectual property rights, labor and the environment, were non-existent when the original agreement came into effect, Smith said.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of April 3-9:
NEW ORLEANS -- Section 321 clearance via the Automated Broker Interface is likely years away, but CBP and the trade community are actively considering a multitude of issues surrounding e-commerce and low value shipments, according to trade industry and government officials during a panel discussion at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America annual conference on April 5. Though short-term solutions for filers and CBP are likely to come earlier, CBP and the trade community need to avoid having those fixes becoming the norm and put the resources into an automated solution that gives customs brokers the same capabilities as others in the supply chain, said Vince Iacopella of Alba Wheels Up.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of March 27 - April 2:
NEW ORLEANS -- Exports will likely see heightened enforcement and greater “accountability” in terms of timeliness of filing and data accuracy under the new administration, said Rich DiNucci, executive director-cargo and conveyance security at CBP, during the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America annual conference April 4. Though much of the Trump administration’s tough talk so far has focused on imports, even exporters will be operating in a new environment as a shift to protectionism occurs across the globe, DiNucci said.
NEW ORLEANS -- CBP is working on a proposed rule to implement new importer validation requirements for customs brokers outlined in the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, said Steve Hilsen, deputy executive director of CBP’s Trade Remedy & Law Enforcement Division. Hilsen spoke at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America annual conference on April 5. The proposal, which will be “ready for comment hopefully shortly,” will include information on what brokers will be required to get from new importer clients, including the importer’s address, status of incorporation and information on the individual associated with the broker power of attorney, Hilsen said.
NEW ORLEANS -- CBP has nearly fixed a series of issues surrounding release date updates in ACE that were causing CBP to mistakenly issue liquidated damages for late filing against compliant filers, said Jim Swanson, CBP director-cargo security and controls, at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America annual conference on April 4. The agency is cancelling in full mistaken assessments of liquidated damages caused by the issues, and is currently deciding how to handle mistaken claims that have already been paid, Swanson said.
NEW ORLEANS -- The Food and Drug Administration is aware of concerns surrounding Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) requirements that begin taking effect for food imports on May 30, said Doug Stearn, director of FDA’s Office of Enforcement and Import Operations, during an April 4 panel discussion at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America annual conference. As FSVP requirements are rolled out, the agency will be “mindful” of the new challenges faced by the trade community, and is “going to try to work with folks to make sure it is dealt with in a responsible way,” he said.
The Commerce Department will undertake a review of China’s non-market economy status in antidumping and countervailing duty cases, it said in a notice (here). The inquiry, which will be conducted as part of the recently initiated antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on aluminum foil from China (see 1703290017), will determine whether China should be graduated to market economy status, which could result in lower and more predictable AD rates for Chinese companies. Commerce will accept public comments as part of the inquiry. The notice has yet to be published in the Federal Register, but upon publication comments will be due within 30 days.