House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., who is a key decisionmaker on what to bring to the House floor, rejected out of hand the Senate minority leader's proposal to bring the Senate China competition bill up for a vote, since negotiations between the House of Representatives and the Senate have stalled.

The Commerce Department will consider imposing antidumping and countervailing duties on imports of aluminum foil from South Korea and Thailand, according to a pre-publication notice released by the agency announcing the beginning of anti-circumvention inquiries covering the two countries.

International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.

Republicans who are in the China package negotiations say that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's tweet that said that moving even a smaller Build Back Better bill would halt negotiations was not an empty threat. He had said that while Congress was away from Washington, at the beginning of the month (see 2207010039).

Some of the Federal Maritime Commission’s proposed changes to its rules for Carrier Automated Tariffs (see 2205090006) are unnecessary and could place too heavy a burden on industry, two trade groups and a logistics company said in comments this month. The commenters were especially critical of a proposed change that would add more requirements to container documentation, and said they wouldn't support a proposal that would allow a non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC) to cross-reference the terms in a vessel-operating common carrier’s (VOCC) tariffs.

The solar safeguard agreement that Canada and the U.S. agreed to will only exempt Canadian-originating cells or panels, and it may start collecting safeguard deposits again if there is a surge in imports of panels or cells that the International Trade Commission agrees is undermining the effectiveness of the solar safeguard measure.

Rubber tires specifically designed for use with lawnmowers are parts of agricultural equipment under subheading 9817.00.60, eligible for duty-free treatment, CBP said in a ruling issued April 28 and made public July 8. The ruling was a response to a request for internal advice initiated by OTR Wheel Engineering on low-speed rated tires that are designed, engineered and marketed for use on riding and standing mowers.

The Court of International in a July 7 opinion upheld CBP's decision to deny Shuzhen Zhong a customs broker's license. Zhong, appearing pro se and seeking to get to a passing grade of 75% or higher on a customs broker license exam, appealed the answers to two questions. Judge Jane Restani ruled that CBP's decision to deny credit for both questions was backed by substantial evidence.

Canada, which had exported more than $133 million worth of solar panels in 2017 before its exports were hit with the global safeguard, will no longer be subject to the 14.75% tariff on panels. The change was announced July 7, while U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai was visiting Canada for the USMCA Free Trade Commission; the memorandum of understanding marking the change will be signed July 8. Tai said the agreement "contains a mechanism to ensure that solar product imports from Canada do not undermine the existing U.S. safeguard measure on imports of solar products," and also commits Canada to prohibiting the import of solar module components made in whole or in part with forced or compulsory labor.

The North American auto industry is waiting with baited breath for the panel decision on the interpretation of the auto rules of origin, and for the additional guidance from CBP to the auto industry, according to Dan Ujczo, a USMCA maven with clients in the auto industry. Ujczo, a senior counsel at Thompson Hine, said in a July 6 phone interview that one of the areas where importers need clarity is in how steel in vehicles can be certified as North American before the melted and poured standard arrives in 2027.