Just after the surprising announcement by Brazil government, they immediately suspend the new import license regulation.
With criticism as "protectionism" to global trade and mounting industry opposition, the Brazilian government announced on January 28 that it is suspending its controversial new policy requiring an import license, which covers quite a lots of HS codes. The suspension will take effect on January 29.
International traders welcome this quick move, however amid glowing protectionism over economic downturn, other countries may proceed similar actions, which may or may not be "gray" area to WTO rule.
2009年1月29日木曜日
2009年1月28日水曜日
Brazil enforce new import license
According to the announcement by Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Commerce ("MDIC") on January 26, 2009, import into Brazil requires import license for quite a number of products effective immediately. Similar import scheme had been implemented in early 1990s as protectionism measure. Global traders are afraid the new import license requirement is revival of this policy.
The problem for global supply chain is its long lead time of import license application. It have been common for importers to wait up to 60 days! while their import licence applications were under consideration. Apparently, this could be awesome bottleneck for modernized supply chain. In addition, those who fail to comply will face monetary penalties.
The import licence required items are broad and regulated by HS code. They are, Chapter 10, 11, 27, 50 - 63, 73, 84-88, 90, 94 and 95.
This measure could be one of the ways to save domestic industries. With recent significant downturn in global economy, this kind of "protectionism" may spread to other country's customs procedure. It is threat to global free trade.
(Source: http://www.bryancave.com/bulletins/ international trade bulletin No. 423)
The problem for global supply chain is its long lead time of import license application. It have been common for importers to wait up to 60 days! while their import licence applications were under consideration. Apparently, this could be awesome bottleneck for modernized supply chain. In addition, those who fail to comply will face monetary penalties.
The import licence required items are broad and regulated by HS code. They are, Chapter 10, 11, 27, 50 - 63, 73, 84-88, 90, 94 and 95.
This measure could be one of the ways to save domestic industries. With recent significant downturn in global economy, this kind of "protectionism" may spread to other country's customs procedure. It is threat to global free trade.
(Source: http://www.bryancave.com/bulletins/ international trade bulletin No. 423)
2009年1月23日金曜日
Malaysia entry into force Japan-ASEAN FTA on Feb 01, 2009
On December 19 (Fri) ,2008, Malaysia made the notification on the completion of its legal procedures necessary for the entry into force of the Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Partnership among Japan and Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Japan-ASEAN Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement).
With this notification, the Agreement will enter into force on February 1 (Sun), 2009 in relation to Malaysia.
This Agreement has already entered into force among Japan, Singapore, Laos, Viet Nam, Myanmar and Brunei.
Japan - Malaysia already have bilateral FTA, however Japan-ASEAN FTA is helpful for getting product origin by using accumulation provision. This will be certainly useful for trades who have operations in ASEAN countries.
(Source: http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/announce/2009/1/1186812_1126.html )
With this notification, the Agreement will enter into force on February 1 (Sun), 2009 in relation to Malaysia.
This Agreement has already entered into force among Japan, Singapore, Laos, Viet Nam, Myanmar and Brunei.
Japan - Malaysia already have bilateral FTA, however Japan-ASEAN FTA is helpful for getting product origin by using accumulation provision. This will be certainly useful for trades who have operations in ASEAN countries.
(Source: http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/announce/2009/1/1186812_1126.html )
2009年1月17日土曜日
EU signed EPA with Cameroon
On Jan. 15, 2009, European Unions and Cameroon signed economic partnership agreement (EPA) trade deal.
(Source: http://www.bilaterals.org/article.php3?id_article=14206 )
(Source: http://www.bilaterals.org/article.php3?id_article=14206 )
2009年1月9日金曜日
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Urges Obama to Focus on Trade
Below is the article of UPS Trade News for January 8, 2009.
Personally, I'm wondering the end of trade embargo against Cuba is realistic priority?
Probably, this is nothing more than "hope" of industry group...
(UPS Trade News for January 8, 2009)
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is urging incoming president Barack Obama to remain focused on international trade as a way to help jump-start the U.S. economy.
Specifically, the industry group has outlined a number of items as priorities for the U.S. trade policy, including completing the Doha Round of WTO talks; doubling federal spending on programs to help U.S. exporters; ratifying new free trade agreements, such as pending pacts with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea; and ending the trade embargo against Cuba.
According to the group's president and chief executive, Thomas J. Donohue, "a lot of smart people" that "understand trade" will be part of the Obama administration, and there's a sense of optimism that the new president will be a strong supporter of international trade.
Personally, I'm wondering the end of trade embargo against Cuba is realistic priority?
Probably, this is nothing more than "hope" of industry group...
(UPS Trade News for January 8, 2009)
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is urging incoming president Barack Obama to remain focused on international trade as a way to help jump-start the U.S. economy.
Specifically, the industry group has outlined a number of items as priorities for the U.S. trade policy, including completing the Doha Round of WTO talks; doubling federal spending on programs to help U.S. exporters; ratifying new free trade agreements, such as pending pacts with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea; and ending the trade embargo against Cuba.
According to the group's president and chief executive, Thomas J. Donohue, "a lot of smart people" that "understand trade" will be part of the Obama administration, and there's a sense of optimism that the new president will be a strong supporter of international trade.
2008年12月26日金曜日
Japan-Vietnam EPA siged on Dec 25
1) Tariff concession details are available in Annex I.
http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/vietnam/epa0812/index.html
2) Overview presentation of Japan-Vietnam EPA (in Japanese)
http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/gaiko/fta/j_asean/vietnam/pdfs/gaiyo.pdf
http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/vietnam/epa0812/index.html
2) Overview presentation of Japan-Vietnam EPA (in Japanese)
http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/gaiko/fta/j_asean/vietnam/pdfs/gaiyo.pdf
2008年12月22日月曜日
VEU Inspection Agreement In Limbo As Bush Term Nears End
The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is threatening to suspend a new program to ease dual-use export controls on certain high-technology exports to companies in China that BIS deems to be trusted, because China and the U.S. have not completed negotiations for a program-specific inspection agreement.
The Validated End User (VEU) program, operated by BIS, is in danger of being suspended prior to the end of the Bush administration, said Commerce Department Assistant Secretary Christopher Wall in a Dec. 17 interview. The threat arose because China would not agree to a VEU-specific inspection regime which included statements from the Ministry of Commerce(MOFCOM) on the end use of the dual-use technology exports covered by the program, Wall said. The two countries are currently in negotiations on the new language, Wall said.
He declined to lay out any U.S. proposals, but did say that the bilateral negotiations have “moved to an advanced point.”
Additionally, Wall predicted that the completion of the agreement is “possible” before the end of the Bush administration, but added that “I’m not able to speak for the Chinese on that. It’s amatter for them to decide.” The consequences of a failure to complete such an agreement under the Bush administration include the possible suspension of the program for China before President George W. Bush leaves office, Wall said. However, Wall and another U.S. official both insisted that India’s VEUprogram would continue to move forward. According to the other U.S. official who spoke earlier in the day, the U.S. was waiting to see if China would “ink” a deal before it officially accepted any language itself.
The VEU program currently grants U.S. exporters a standing license to export specified controlled high-technology goods to the five Chinese firms that have been approved for the program. Currently, VEU companies are inspected under the 2004 End User Verification Understanding, Wall said. Those inspections are still carried out, Wall said. “There has been no breakdown in the program at all,” he insisted, denying another U.S. official’s claim that China this year backed away from a 2008 deal to allow inspections of VEU companies under the EUVU. Instead, BIS wants a VEU specific program to “specifically address VEU issues and obtain enduse statements from MOFCOM,” Wall said. BIS wants these statements included in the agreement to reduce the administrative burden for Chinese companies that import goods underthe VEU program. “That doesn’t go to the issue safety; that goes toward trade enhancement,” Wall said.
The head of BIS, Undersecretary of Commerce Mario Mancuso, has “long said” the VEU program will not be a “gray area” when the Bush administration leaves office on Jan. 20, the official said. If the U.S. and China are not able to reach an agreement on end-user inspections,“we will resolve it for them” by suspending the program, the official said.
The U.S. official said media reports that the VEU program had already been canceled were“premature,” and noted that U.S. companies and their Chinese partners currently under the VEU program could continue to ship approved items. A GAO oversight report released in October recommended the Commerce Department suspendthe VEU program, until it can amend or reach a new agreement that allows the conduct of VEU specificon-site reviews in China to protect against diversion of semiconductor equipment and materials to unintended uses (Inside U.S. Trade, Nov. 14) The Chinese may be incorrectly assuming they can successfully push for more decontrolled high-tech exports under the incoming Obama administration, one informed source suggested onDec. 17. “I hope they are not thinking they can just get a better deal while waiting for a newadministration,” this source said. “That’s a misreading of the situation; this is not a partisan question. These are fundamental national security concerns that [the Bush administration] inherited from the Clinton administration.”
(Source: INSIDETRADE-26-50-4)
The Validated End User (VEU) program, operated by BIS, is in danger of being suspended prior to the end of the Bush administration, said Commerce Department Assistant Secretary Christopher Wall in a Dec. 17 interview. The threat arose because China would not agree to a VEU-specific inspection regime which included statements from the Ministry of Commerce(MOFCOM) on the end use of the dual-use technology exports covered by the program, Wall said. The two countries are currently in negotiations on the new language, Wall said.
He declined to lay out any U.S. proposals, but did say that the bilateral negotiations have “moved to an advanced point.”
Additionally, Wall predicted that the completion of the agreement is “possible” before the end of the Bush administration, but added that “I’m not able to speak for the Chinese on that. It’s amatter for them to decide.” The consequences of a failure to complete such an agreement under the Bush administration include the possible suspension of the program for China before President George W. Bush leaves office, Wall said. However, Wall and another U.S. official both insisted that India’s VEUprogram would continue to move forward. According to the other U.S. official who spoke earlier in the day, the U.S. was waiting to see if China would “ink” a deal before it officially accepted any language itself.
The VEU program currently grants U.S. exporters a standing license to export specified controlled high-technology goods to the five Chinese firms that have been approved for the program. Currently, VEU companies are inspected under the 2004 End User Verification Understanding, Wall said. Those inspections are still carried out, Wall said. “There has been no breakdown in the program at all,” he insisted, denying another U.S. official’s claim that China this year backed away from a 2008 deal to allow inspections of VEU companies under the EUVU. Instead, BIS wants a VEU specific program to “specifically address VEU issues and obtain enduse statements from MOFCOM,” Wall said. BIS wants these statements included in the agreement to reduce the administrative burden for Chinese companies that import goods underthe VEU program. “That doesn’t go to the issue safety; that goes toward trade enhancement,” Wall said.
The head of BIS, Undersecretary of Commerce Mario Mancuso, has “long said” the VEU program will not be a “gray area” when the Bush administration leaves office on Jan. 20, the official said. If the U.S. and China are not able to reach an agreement on end-user inspections,“we will resolve it for them” by suspending the program, the official said.
The U.S. official said media reports that the VEU program had already been canceled were“premature,” and noted that U.S. companies and their Chinese partners currently under the VEU program could continue to ship approved items. A GAO oversight report released in October recommended the Commerce Department suspendthe VEU program, until it can amend or reach a new agreement that allows the conduct of VEU specificon-site reviews in China to protect against diversion of semiconductor equipment and materials to unintended uses (Inside U.S. Trade, Nov. 14) The Chinese may be incorrectly assuming they can successfully push for more decontrolled high-tech exports under the incoming Obama administration, one informed source suggested onDec. 17. “I hope they are not thinking they can just get a better deal while waiting for a newadministration,” this source said. “That’s a misreading of the situation; this is not a partisan question. These are fundamental national security concerns that [the Bush administration] inherited from the Clinton administration.”
(Source: INSIDETRADE-26-50-4)
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