Here is a recap of the latest customs and international trade news:       

Customs and Border Protection (CBP)  

  • In relation to the Section 301 China Product Exclusions Extension, CBP provided guidance on the 14-day transition period extending 429 product-specific exclusions (352 previously reinstated exclusions and 77 COVID-related) through June 14, 2024, and extending certain exclusions through May 31, 2025. 
  • Norfolk CBP seized 305 window air conditioners for bearing counterfeit Energy Star certification marks. 
  • Louisville CBP seized three shipments containing 2,387 pieces of counterfeit jewelry. If genuine, the jewelry would have had a combined Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of over $10.08 million. 
  • CBP posted an updated version of the Drawback/TFTEA Drawback Entry Summary Create/Resubmission CATAIR. This version has a new class code for Superfund. 
  • On July 25, 2024, CBP will deploy an update to the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) that requires the submission of the Reference Identifier Qualifier Estimated Date of Arrival (EDA) in the SE20 record for all de-minimis shipments filed as an entry type 86 submission.  
  • CBP’s Baltimore Field Office announces fiscal year 2023 recoveries of stolen vehicles being exported from the U.S. Officers intercepted 343 stolen vehicles during the fiscal year. About 90% of the vehicles were destined to West Africa. 

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 

  • DHS’s Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF) released an updated UFLPA Strategy and added aluminum, PVC, and seafood as new high priority sectors for enforcement. 

Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) 

  • BIS, in partnership with HHS, announced that the U.S. government is conducting a comprehensive assessment of the U.S. Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) industrial base to gain an understanding of the supply chain network that underpins U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities.  
    • In support of the assessment, BIS will survey hundreds of U.S. API manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and customers. 
  • BIS published guidance outlining the actions that BIS takes to inform industry and academia about parties – beyond those identified on public screening lists like the Entity List – that present risks of diversion of items subject to BIS export controls to countries or entities of concern.  

 Department of Justice (DoJ) 

  • New York man and Canadian national plead guilty to a multimillion-dollar export control scheme involving shipping missiles and drones to Russia. 
  • President of freight forwarding company indicted for allegedly smuggling goods from the United States to Russia. 

Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) 

  • OFAC issued new guidance on Production Submission Standards. The guidance provides technical and general guidance to persons submitting material to OFAC and applies primarily to persons providing responses to administrative subpoenas, requests for information, and disclosures. 
  • Sanctions list updates: 

U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) 

  • USITC determined that fine denier polyester staple fiber (PSF) is being imported into the United States in such increased quantities as to be a substantial cause of serious injury to the domestic industry. The Commission will now proceed to the remedy phase of the investigation and will hold a public hearing on July 23, 2024. 

United States Trade Representative (USTR) 

  • USTR announces Danielle Fumagalli as Acting Assistant United States Trade Representative for Japan, Korea and APEC Affairs. 

U.S. Census Bureau  

  • On July 1, the Census Bureau announced that effective immediately the Schedule B, Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS), and HTS Codes that are not valid for AES tables have been updated to accept the changes to the July 1 codes. 

World Trade Organization 

  • WTO released the latest Trade Monitoring Update on July 8. The update covers mid-October 2023 through mid-May 2024 and shows that members continue to introduce more trade-facilitating measures than trade-restricting measures on goods, despite the current geopolitical uncertainty. 

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