Executive Order 14114, issued by President Biden on December 22, 2023, amends E.O. 14068 to ban the importation of certain seafood and diamonds originating from the Russian Federation. The order mandates that the Department of Homeland Security (with the Treasury's concurrence) implement data collection for enforcing these prohibitions. Filed on: 10/21/2024 at 8:45 am Scheduled Pub. Date: 10/22/2024 FR Document: 2024-24341 PDF 9 Pages (126 KB) …
For the 29th time, the United States is asking Mexico to review whether workers at a Mexican facility are being denied their rights. The request, under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s rapid response labor mechanism, asks for a review ofwhether workers at Odisa Concrete Equipment SA de CV, in Hidalgo, Mexico, are being denied the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released operational statistics Tuesday for Fiscal Year 2024, including September 2024’s monthly operational update. CBP monthly reporting can be viewed …
Chinese authorities announced new regulations on the export control of dual-use items, effective December 1, 2024. These measures aim to enhance China’s export control governance, align with international non-proliferation commitments, and bolster global non-proliferation efforts. The newly issued rules establish a permit system for the export of dual-use items, including a list of restricted goods. The regulations will abolish the existing registration system for exporters of dual-use items.
A "customs-related misunderstanding" is currently affecting the world's largest dronemaker's ability to import select drones into the United States, Da-Jiang Innovation (DJI) calls the action "part of a broader initiative by the Department of Homeland Security to scrutinize the origins of products, particularly in the case of Chinese made drones." U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has cited the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), as the reason for the current holdups.
Republican lawmakers continued their campaign to derail Chinese battery firm Gotion's plans to build a factory in Michigan, calling for a retroactive review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). In a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Congressman John Moolenar (R-MI), Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and colleagues cite the facility's location, 60 miles from a National Guard training facility Camp Grayling.
Mexico wants to reduce its dependence on imports from China and is asking some of the world’s biggest manufacturers and tech firms operating in the country to identify Chinese products and parts that could be made locally. The country’s deputy trade minister, Luis Rosendo Gutiérrez, told the Wall Street Journal that Mexico wants U.S. carmakers and semiconductor manufacturers as well as global giants in the aerospace and electronics sectors to substitute some goods and components manufactured in China, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan.
The White House is considering various import prohibition options on the basis that Chinese nationals are engaging in trade or taking of pangolins that diminishes the effectiveness of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). China remains the largest destination country for pangolin scales
The Securities and Exchange Commission's 2012 conflict minerals disclosure rule has not reduced violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and has likely had no effect in adjoining countries, according to a GAO report released October 7th. The SEC rule requires companies to file reports on their use of tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold, which are mined in the DRC. GAO found no empirical evidence that the rule has decreased the occurrence or level of violence in the eastern DRC, where many mines and armed groups are located
The Board of Directors at the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) last week voted to approve a Non-Binding Resolution in Support of Critical Minerals and Rare Earths Financings to reaffirm its support for critical minerals transactions. The resolution amplifies EXIM’s current efforts to utilize its lending and underwriting tools to support critical minerals and rare earths projects.
For the first time, steel and artificial sweetener companies have been added to the UFLPA Entity List. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will apply a rebuttable presumption that goods produced by Baowu Group Xinjiang Bayi Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. and Changzhou Guanghui Food Ingredients Co., Ltd.
Developing and developed members applauded the EU decision to postpone the implementation of its new Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR) for twelve months. This regulation, which was set to take effect on 30 December 2024, will require a variety of agricultural products sold in the EU market to be "deforestation-free," meaning they must not result from recent (post-31 December 2020) deforestation, forest degradation, or breaches of local environmental and social laws.
On 25 September 2024, the EU and US held an in-depth technical discussion with transatlantic social partner stakeholders under the Trade and Labour Dialogue (TALD), focused on ways to eradicate forced labour from supply chains and ensure a successful, just and inclusive green transition.
Four Commissioners from the bipartisan and bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) released a letter to the trade representatives of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, urging robust implementation of existing forced labor import prohibitions in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and asking for greater cooperation to prevent goods denied in one country being re-exported to another within the USMCA.
On the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly, Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted a Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) Lobito Corridor Roundtable with key partners. This high-level discussion advanced PGII’s flagship Lobito Corridor, aiming to develop trans-continental connectivity from the Atlantic to Indian Oceans.
The Commerce Department proposed prohibiting the sale or import of connected vehicles integrating specific pieces of hardware and software, or those components sold separately, with a sufficient nexus to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) or Russia. Published by the Bureau of Industry and Security, the rule focuses on hardware and software integrated into the Vehicle Connectivity System (VCS) and software integrated into the Automated Driving System (ADS). These are the critical systems that, through specific hardware and software, allow for external connectivity and autonomous driving capabilities in connected vehicles.
The USTR announced enforcement action under the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA) Forest Sector Annex. USTR requested the Government of Peru to verify that five timber shipments exported to the United States from Peru complied with applicable Peruvian laws and regulations.
To strengthen cooperation between the United States and Uzbekistan on critical minerals, officials signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Tashkent. The United States and Uzbekistan are actively working to encourage private sector investment in Uzbekistan’s mining sector. The MOU further reflects both sides’ shared goal of strong environmental, labor, and governance practices in the global mining sector.
The United States and Mexico have resolved a worker rights complaint under the US-Mexico- Canada Agreement involving a Hong-Kong based maker of cast and machined component parts.
The United States has asked Mexico to review whether workers at a German-owned leatherworks supplying the automotive industry are being denied the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining. The facility specializes in manufacturing premium leather for the automotive industry. Gernam parent Bader GmbH & Co. KG, is a leading supplier of leather trim to all major auto manufacturers from Acura to Volvo.