TradeLane

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been instructed to begin collecting Section 301 duties on 818 products of China origin at the rate of 25% effective July 6^th.

The total value of the targeted goods is $50 billion.

List 1, which was implemented on July 6^th, is valued at $34 billion and the second list of products is expected to hit importers once the comment period ends.  List 2 is valued at approximately $16 billion. 

On March 20, the 13^th National People's Congress of China has formally reached an agreement on the institutional reform plan of the Chinese governmental agencies submitted by the State Council.  According to the restructuring plan, many governmental agencies related to import and export operations will be integrated or simplified, and the related parties’ working scope shall be adjusted as well.

Tradewin has summarized the developments as relates to import/export as follows:

The responsibilities and personnel of China and Inspection Quarantine (CIQ) shall be integrated into China Customs.

With modern age online shopping, our favorite items might just be a click away. When I was living in Shanghai, logistics had become so advanced that the typical lead time from purchasing an item to having it delivered at the door should not take more than 1 or 2 days.

As a consumer, do we ever think about how it is possible for products to be delivered so quickly?

As a customs and trade consultant, I have had the privilege to work with many retailers. We analyze the flow of goods and transactions to optimize supply chain and trade compliance.

The passage of the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (signed in February 2016) seems to have prompted a renewed effort by CBP to enforce regulations regarding the importation of “Merchandise Produced By Convict, Forced, or Indentured Labor.”  We have seen many instances over the last few weeks where importers have received CF28s asking about steps the importer has taken to ensure that their supply chains are free of child, forced, or convict labor.  Some of the demands are exceedingly broad:

If you are being attacked by a stronger opponent, sometimes you need a strong shield. Korea Customs is such an opponent with all the power of the government behind them, how can importers protect themselves?  

One defensive shield available is the ‘ACVA’ program.