U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has made available a list of 71 frequently asked questions (FAQ) regarding the State Department's control of exports. As this list of questions appears to have been posted in April 2002, some questions may be outdated. (State Department questions, dated 04/02, available at http://www.cbp.gov/ImageCache/cgov/content/export/documents_5flicenses_5frequirements/qstate_2epdf/v1/qstate.pdf.)

Broker Power has previously reported that effective from February 2, 2004 through April 30, 2004, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is detaining and requesting production documents for, or sending to a laboratory for testing, importations of socks from at most 22 targeted countries.

The Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (COAC) held a quarterly meeting on February 6, 2004 in Washington, DC to discuss, and receive updates from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials on, various customs and trade issues.

Reuters has reported that U.S. lawmakers are unlikely to repeal export tax subsidies that violate global trade rules in time to avoid punitive European Union (EU) trade sanctions on billions of dollars of U.S. goods. According to Reuters, the EU plans to impose a 5% duty on more than $4 billion worth of U.S. exports beginning March 1, 2004 if President Bush has not signed legislation repealing the Foreign Sales Corporation-Extraterritorial Income (FSC-ETI) tax regime. (Reuters Pub 02/13/04, available at http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=4355783)

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has posted to its Web site a third version of its Questions & Answers (Q&A) document regarding the registration of food facilities, which is effective immediately.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a notice which corrects its October 10, 2003 interim final rule that requires, effective December 12, 2003, the submission to the FDA of prior notice of food (including animal feed) that is imported or offered for import into the U.S..

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a press release announcing that USTR Robert Zoellick formally notified Congress, on behalf of the President, of the Administration's intent to initiate negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) with Thailand.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has made available on its Web site certain trade statistics, which include lists of the top 5000 Importers for Fiscal Year (FY) 2002, FY 2001, and FY 2000.

The Commerce Department's Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) has issued its December 2003 Textile and Apparel Trade Balance Report (containing data through December 31, 2003). The Trade Balance Report shows imports and exports and calculates the trade balance for U.S. textile and apparel trade with the world and with major U.S. trading partners.

(a) For previously reviewed China and non-China exporters with separate rates, the cash deposit rate will be the company-specific rate established for the most recent period.