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US, Vietnam reach agreement on shrimp

By 2 Mins Read

On July 18, 2016, the International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce, announced that the United States and Vietnam signed an agreement to resolve two longstanding WTO disputes over imports of Vietnamese shrimp to the United States. The agreement also provides a framework for the settlement of certain U.S. court litigation, as well as the resolution of certain outstanding duty claims covering various administrative reviews of the warmwater shrimp antidumping duty order. Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Barbara Weisel, Assistant Secretary of

New Zealand – New excise duty rates for alcohol from 1 July 2016 3/06/2016

By 1 Min Read

The annual adjustment to the excise and excise-equivalent duty rates on alcoholic beverages took place on 1 July 2016. The annual adjustment is based on movements in the consumer prices index less credit services subgroup over the 12-month period to 31 March 2016. The new rates are those set out in the Excise and Excise-equivalent Duties Table (Alcoholic Beverages Indexation) Amendment Order 2016.

New Zealand – Low value imports – update and next steps

By 2 Mins Read

On 30 June 2016, the New Zealand Customs Service (NZCS) reported that imports of low-value goods (under NZ$1000) into New Zealand have been growing steadily, especially with the rise of online shopping, and said this is expected to continue.

NZCS has been exploring whether it is possible to change the shape and level of the de minimis – the level under which tax is not collected for imported (physical) goods. This is currently set at $60 duty owing (GST inclusive).

New Zealand – Change to entry rule for exporting to China – 1 October 2016

By 2 Mins Read

The New Zealand Customs Service has announced that anticipated changes to the Export Entry Rules (1997) will come into effect from 1 October 2016.

Where tariff preference is being requested under the China – New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, exporters will need to enter Certificate of Origin (COO) numbers in the entry declaration.

The change will require COO numbers to be entered under ‘Other

EU – Commission publishes further TTIP documents in ongoing transparency commitment

By 2 Mins Read

On 14 July 2016, the European Commission published a record number of EU proposals from the ongoing 14th round of talks for a trade agreement with the United States, taking place in Brussels this week.

As part of its drive for a more transparent trade and investment policy, the Commission is making these proposals public only days after submitting them to our negotiating partners.

WTO welcomes Liberia as 163rd member

By 1 Min Read

On 14 July 2016, the WTO announced that Liberia had joined the WTO as its 163rd member, after nearly 10 years of negotiating its accession terms with WTO members. Liberia is the eighth least-developed country (LDC) to accede to the WTO through negotiations. The announcement said:

The 30-day countdown to Liberia’s WTO membership was activated when Liberia’s Minister for Commerce and Industry, Axel Addy, handed to the WTOthe instrument of acceptance of Liberia’s Protocol of Accession on 14 June 2016

US – FTC issues warning letters to companies claiming APEC Cross-Border Privacy Certification

By 1 Min Read

On July 14, 2016, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it has issued warning letters to 28 companies that claim certified participation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperative’s Cross-Border Privacy Rules system on their websites but do not appear to have met the requirements to make that claim.

The APEC privacy system is a self-regulatory initiative to enhance the protection of consumer data that moves among the APEC member economies through a voluntary but enforceable code of conduct implemented by participating businesses.

New Zealand – Consultation on proposed TPP patent term extension regulations

By 2 Mins Read

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) announced that on 11 July 2016, it released a consultation document seeking feedback on proposed regulations to implement the patent term extension provisions in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement Amendment Bill. The Bill will, when it enters into force, amend the Patents Act 2013 to provide for patent term extensions for:

US – APHIS to end ITDS/ACE test and require ACE submissions

By 1 Min Read

On July 18, 2016, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) published in the Federal Register a notice [Docket No. APHIS-2015-0063], in coordination with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), advising the public that a pilot plan to test and assess the International Trade Data System for the electronic submission of data required by APHIS Animal Care, Biotechnology Regulatory Services, Plant Protection and Quarantine, and Veterinary Services for processing in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) has proven successful and will end on August 15,

US – Labor Dep’t accepts complaint under United States-Colombia TPA

By 2 Mins Read

On July 18, 2016, the Department of Labor published in the Federal Register anotice stating that on July 15, 2016, the Office of Trade and Labor Affairs (OTLA) accepted for review Submission #2016-02 regarding Colombia pursuant to Article 17.5.5 of the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (CTPA). On May 16, 2015, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations and five Colombian workers’ and civil society organizations provided a formal submission to OTLA alleging violations of Chapter 17 (the Labor Chapter)