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

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 

  • U.S. signs Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement with El Salvador. 
  • CBP activated a Lead Field Coordinator (LFC) to coordinate all of CBP’s essential operations within the impacted region of Hurricane Milton. 
  • CBP issued clarifications to ACE Entry Type 86 Test. 
  • CBP extended its rejection of vague descriptions for the Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS) compliance deadline to Nov. 12. 
  • CBP Executive Director of Trade Relations Felicia Pullam defended the administration’s proposal to end de minimis eligibility for goods subject to Section 301 tariffs and reiterated the agency’s support for charging a $2 fee per de minimis package. 
  • CBP’s Norfolk office seized over $450,000 in dental supplies lacking country of origin markings. 

Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) 

  • BIS issues guidance to financial institutions on best practices for compliance with the Export Administration Regulations. 

Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) 

United States International Trade Commission (USITC) 

  • A new petition has been filed against Thermoformed Molded Fiber Products from the PRC and Viet Nam. The Petitioner claims that the AD margin from China is 604.40%. 
  • USITC makes determination in five-year (sunset) reviews concerning utility scale wind towers from China and Vietnam. 
  • USITC makes determination in five-year (sunset) review concerning silicomanganese from China and Ukraine. 

Court of International Trade (CIT) 

  • CIT sent a customs classification dispute on truck steps to a bench trial after finding that the undisputed facts are insufficient for conducting a principal use analysis.  

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 

  • The FDA announced a new, streamlined approach for processing complaints, including whistleblower complaints related to FDA-regulated products. 

Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) 

  • FMC issued a reminder emphasizing that retaliation against a shipper, OTI, or motor carrier for questioning common carrier or MTO invoicing, surcharges, or other practices, or making a complaint and/or providing information to the agency, is a serious violation of the law that carries significant penalties.  
  • Two administrative law judges have been detailed from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to the Federal Maritime Commission’s Office of Administrative Law Judges (OALJ) for a one-year period. 

United States Trade Representative 

  • Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Small Business, Market Access, and Industrial Competitiveness Sushan Demirjian called for new enforcement tools to fight non-market steel stating global steel excess capacity is reaching “crisis levels.”  

U.S. Department of State 

  • The U.S. Department of State reached a settlement with an Oregon company that violated 24 violations of the Arms Export Control Act. 

Department of Justice (DoJ) 

  • Four men were charged with conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act, smuggle goods from the United States, and engage in the business of dealing firearms without a license. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. 

Congress 

  • The Chairs of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), released a letter asking President Biden to advocate for Americans wrongfully detained in China, including Kai Li, Mark Swidan, Nelson Wells, Jr., and Dawn Michelle Hunt. 

Industry News 

  • The Canadian government’s Standing Committee on International Trade (CIIT) during an Oct. 2 hearing defeated a Sept. 25 motion by a vote of 6 to 5 to delay the implementation of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM) system to April 2025. The launch date for CARM remains Oct. 21. 
  • The Center for Strategic & International Studies published a report titled “Defining Success, Does the U.S. Need and ‘End State’ for Its China Policy?” 
  • A new report from C4ADS outlines an investigation that revealed at least two XUAR-based pharmaceutical companies are currently registered with the FDA and authorized to export drugs to the U.S. 

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