GHY Tradelines

(World Trade Interactive)

President Obama formally submitted to Congress Oct. 3 legislation to implement pending free trade agreements with Korea, Colombia and Panama. The Colombia FTA bill includes a retroactive renewal of the Andean Trade Preferences Act through July 31, 2013.

House Speaker John Boehner said the House will consider the FTA bills “consecutively and in tandem with” a bill recently passed by the Senate that would reauthorize the Generalized System of Preferences (also retroactively through July 31, 2013) and the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act. However, at press time there were no further details on that process. While Congress now has 90 days to hold up-or-down votes on each bill, House and Senate leaders said they expect all three to be approved by the end of October.
 

(CBP)

The 2011 ACE Customer Satisfaction Survey is now available and your VOLUNTARY feedback is requested!

Trade community ACE portal users can access the survey here.

Please remember that your response is VOLUNTARY and completely anonymous.  The survey should take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete – depending upon the level of detail in your comments.  The survey will be available through Wednesday, October 19, 2011.

For assistance, please contact FoundationBusinessOutcomes@cbp.dhs.gov.
 

(China Daily)

As debt crisis hurts exports, China attempts to offset the worst effects

China is studying and launching concrete measures related to tax and procedures to increase imports. The move is part of a bid to enhance the country’s industrial competitiveness and balance of trade, said Zhong Shan, vice-minister of commerce on Thursday.

While the global debt crisis is hurting demand for Chinese goods and exports, “expanding imports will strengthen the competitiveness of the local industries, if appropriate moves are taken”, said Zhong during a keynote speech at the China Import Forum 2011 in Shanghai.

The country is stepping up efforts to research and draft six relevant measures, including “launching preferential tax and finance policies, simplifying and reducing relevant procedures, maturing domestic circulating channels and promoting (trade) fairs”, he said.

Meanwhile, the nation is also committed to optimizing the import structure, and importing more advanced technology, equipment and parts, resource-related and consumer goods in the next five years. Read more here.
 

(CBC News – Laura Payton)

Trade Minister Ed Fast must meet with his U.S. counterpart to head off talk of a new tariff for goods shipped through Canada and into America, the head of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce said Monday.

Fast says the attempt by the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission to add a tariff to cargo shipped into Canadian ports and across the U.S. border is in its infancy. He says it’s too soon to say what could come of it.

But Perrin Beatty, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, says the government should intervene very forcefully to make it clear that the move would run contrary to U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s attempts to ease trade.

Fast should meet with U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, Beatty says, and Canadian embassy staff in Washington should be meeting with American authorities.

“I think we need to make it clear that Canada will not willingly accept an attack upon Canadian ports and railroads,” Beatty said.  “I think we should be trying to head off improper action on the part of the Americans in the first place. If we’re forced to pursue this under international trade law, we’ll have to do that, but our goal should be to prevent something from happening, which is damaging to the trade relationship between Canada and the U.S. and which is also damaging to consumers in both countries.” Read more here.
 

(David Erickson and Mark Anstoetter, Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP)

Environment Canada and Health Canada have issued joint proposed regulations that would designate four chemical substances as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) based on studies finding that they pose threats to the environment and public health. The proposed chemicals are (i) a form of hexanedioic acid known as DEH A, (ii) a form of propanone known as PREPO D, (iii) a form of benzenediamine known as BENP AT, and (iv) Solvent Red 23. The proposed regulations would limit releases of the substances and the general public’s exposure to them, as well as require notification and further assessment of any new manufacture, import or use of a designated substance.

DEH A is used as a plasticizer in the flexible vinyl industry and in some foodpackaging materials, cosmetics and personal care products. PREPO D is used as an antioxidant and plasticizer. BENP AT is used in the manufacture of rubber products such as tires. Solvent Red 23, an organic substance, is used primarily in cosmetics and personal care products and as a colorant in commercial pesticides. The proposed toxic designations are open for public comment through November 9, 2011.
 

(American Shipper)

U.S. Customs and industry representatives on Monday outlined how a simplified process for filing import declarations would look and said a trial program will start soon to demonstrate how fewer documentation requirements could benefit the government and importers alike.

The goal is to give trusted traders a more streamlined process to get goods released by linking security and admissibility data requirements. A simplified customs entry would resemble the Importer Security Filing (ISF) with a few extra data elements such as a 10-digit Harmonized Tariff System code, the estimated value and an entry number, reporters were told during a telephone briefing about last week’s Trade Support Network plenary session.

Importers need to be in Tier 2 or Tier 3 of the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, a voluntary supply chain security program, to be eligible for simplified entry. The importer named on the ISF form has to be the same as the importer of record on the entry and have a continuous customs bond. Finally, the entry summary that details shipment information, and acts as a receipt for CBP, will need to be transmitted to the new Automated Commercial Environment instead of CBP’s legacy data system – without any sub-bills of lading. Read more here.
 

(FAITC)

Minister Wraps Up Successful Trade Visit to Japan and Indonesia

The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, today wrapped up a trade visit to Japan and Indonesia during which he made four trade-related announcements, and assisted Canadian businesses seeking out new economic opportunities in the region.

“Our government’s top priority is completing the economic recovery and protecting and creating jobs,” said Minister Fast. “With one in five Canadian jobs dependent on trade, increasing our trade and investment ties with Asia is key to protecting and strengthening the financial security of Canadians and ensuring Canada’s economic growth.”

During his visit, Minister Fast announced:

• Canada’s signing of the historic Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which will combat trade in counterfeit and pirated goods while helping ensure innovation- and knowledge-based prosperity;

• an expanded air transport agreement between Canada and Japan, which will help deepen Canada’s important trade and investment relationship with Japan and benefit air travellers, workers and businesses;

• an agreement to enhance cooperation between Canada and Japan’s science and technology sectors; and

• a trade and investment framework with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to increase Canada’s trade and investment ties in the region.

“These announcements will help open new markets for Canadian businesses in Asia, as well as protect intellectual property rights and foster innovation- and knowledge-based prosperity,” said Minister Fast. “The Government of Canada will continue to pursue new opportunities in markets around the world, because we know that when Canadian businesses succeed abroad, they create jobs, prosperity and other benefits for Canadian families in every region of the country.”

Read more »

(Journal of Commerce Online – Bruce Barnard)

IATA says freight traffic shrinks 3.6% even as capacity grows

The downturn in the global air cargo market accelerated sharply in August with traffic shrinking 3.8% from a year ago, led by steep declines in North America and the Asia-Pacific region, the International Air Transport Association reported.

The contraction was more than double the pace of the 1.8% year-on-year decline in July, the airline group said, and came as carriers increased capacity 1.5%. The gap was widest on international routes, where traffic fell 3.5% against a 2.4% gain in freight capacity, a combination bringing down freight rates in international markets. Read more here.
 

(The Globe and Mail – John Ibbitson)

A United States agency is considering a major new levy on cargo entering the Unites States from British Columbia ports, which could harm cross-border trade and impair Canadian efforts to capture more business from Asia.

Richard Lidinsky, the chairman of the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission, is looking at whether to “level the playing field” on the West Coast, where modern Canadian ports are taking container-cargo business away from their run-down American counterparts.

But the real intent “is not to level the playing field but to level the competition” Canadian Chamber of Commerce president Perrin Beatty warned in a letter sent Friday to International Trade Minister Ed Fast.

Word of the potential tariff is another blow to Beyond the Border, the major new border-cooperation agreement soon to be released by the American and Canadian governments, and comes on the heels of Buy American provisions contained in proposed new American stimulus legislation. Read more here.

Related: U.S. Attack on Canada’s Ports and Railroads