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Singapore ratifies RCEP trade agreement

By 1 Min Read

Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry announced that on 9 April 2021, Singapore deposited its instrument of ratification with the Secretary-General of ASEAN and became the first country to complete the official process for ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement. It is understood that China, Japan and Thailand completed their domestic procedures to approve RCEP, but apparently have not deposited their instruments of ratification with ASEAN. RCEP is the world’s largest free trade agreement and…

Canada-UK Trade Continuity Agreement enters into force

By 1 Min Read

Global Affairs Canada announced that the Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement (Canada-UK TCA) entered into force on April 1, 2021 – preserving preferential market access for both Canadian and UK businesses. Resources: The full text of the Canada-UK TCA may be found here.A Joint Interpretative Instrument. Statement by Canada and the UK interpreting the Canada-UK TCA provisions.Chapter summaries – Chapter-by-chapter guide to the Canada-UK TCA key provisions.Economic Impact Assessment – Assessmentconducted by the Office of…

Canada opens consultation regarding future trade negotiations with the UK

By 4 Mins Read

In the March 13, 2021, Canada Gazette, Global Affairs Canada announced a consultation soliciting the views of Canadians on possible bilateral trade agreement negotiations with the United Kingdom (UK), as well as on the UK’s request to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The announcement gave some background: In 2019, the UK was Canada’s third-largest destination for merchandise exports worldwide. Two-way merchandise trade amounted to $29 billion, making it Canada’s fifth-largest…

US – COAC to hold meeting on March 17, 2021

By 3 Mins Read

On February 19, 2021, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published in the Federal Register a notice [Docket No. USCBP-2021-0006] that the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) will hold its quarterly meeting on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. The meeting will be open to the public via webinar only. There is no on-site, in-person option for this quarterly meeting. The webinar link and conference number will be provided to all registrants by 5:00 p.m. EDT…

USITC releases the 2021 HTS

By 2 Mins Read

The US International Trade Commission (USITC) has released the 2021 Preliminary Edition of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the US (HTS or HTSUS). The preliminary edition is available as a full-document download or a chapter-by-chapter download. The 2021 Preliminary HTS includes: changes proclaimed by the President on December 22, 2020, in proclamation 10128 which made changes including (1) in the AGOA program, (2) the U.S.-Israel Free Trade Agreement, and (3) changes to specific tariff rates;particular…

USTR determines trade surplus in certain sugar and syrup goods and sugar containing products of various FTA partners

By 4 Mins Read

On January 6, 2021, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) published in the Federal Register a notice of its determination of the trade surplus in certain sugar and syrup goods and sugar-containing products of Chile, Morocco, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, Colombia and Panama. The level of a country’s trade surplus in these goods relates to the quantity of sugar and syrup goods and sugar-containing products…

US – President proclaims modifications to HTS for AGOA, USIFTA, CBERA, EU

By 3 Mins Read

On December 29, 2020, the Federal Register published Presidential Proclamation 10128 of December 22, 2020 – To Take Certain Actions Under the African Growth and Opportunity Act and for Other Purposes, which takes the following actions: Designates the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country for purposes of African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and modifies general note 16(a) to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) to…

EU/UK – Text of Trade and Cooperation Agreement released

By 7 Mins Read

The European Commission has released the full text of the 1256 page Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the European Atomic Energy Community for Cooperation on the Safe and Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy and the conclusion, by the European Commission, on behalf of the European Atomic Energy Community, of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, of…

EU, UK reach post-BREXIT deal at last minute!

By 1 Min Read

On 24 December 2020, European Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the European Union and the United Kingdom had reached an agreement on their future trading relationship. The agreement comes just a week before the UK’s transition period ends. If an agreement had not been reached, goods from the UK would be subject to WTO duties and quotas. The agreement requires the approval of all 27 EU…

UK and Viet Nam sign Free Trade Agreement

By 3 Mins Read

On 11 December 2020, the UK and Viet Nam jointly announced the conclusion of the UK-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The announcement said that the UK and Viet Nam enjoy excellent diplomatic relations and increasingly common goals. This is demonstrated by the renewing of the UK-Viet Nam Strategic Partnership for a further ten years in September this year. The Partnership provides a framework for a strong bilateral relationship and outlines key priorities, including low-carbon…