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

Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

  • CBP releases June 2023 monthly update
    • CBP processed more than 3.1 million entry summaries valued at more than $278 billion.
    • CBP identified an estimated $7 billion of duties to be collected by the U.S. government.
    • CBP seized 1,709 shipments that contained counterfeit goods valued at more than $120 million.
    • In June, trade via the ocean environment accounted for 39.5% of the total import value, followed by air, truck, and rail.
    • In the year after the agency began implementing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act on June 21, 2022, CBP has reviewed a total of nearly 4,300 shipments valued at nearly $1.4 billion. In June 2023, CBP stopped 405 shipments valued at more than $239 million for further examination based on the suspected use of forced labor.

Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)

  • Commerce adds four entities to entity list for trafficking in cyber exploits
    • BIS added Intellexa S.A. in Greece, Cytrox Holdings Crt in Hungary, Intellexa Limited in Ireland, and Cytrox AD in North Macedonia to the Entity List for trafficking in cyber exploits used to gain access to information systems, threatening the privacy and security of individuals and organizations worldwide.
    • The action targets these entities' ability to access commodities, software, and technology that could contribute to the development of surveillance tools that pose a risk of misuse in violations or abuses of human rights.
    • "This rule reaffirms the protection of human rights worldwide as a fundamental U.S. foreign policy interest," said Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves. "The Entity List remains a powerful tool in our arsenal to prevent bad actors around the world from using American technology to reach their nefarious goals."
  • Suspected Russian intelligence operative extradited from Estonia to face charges. related to providing American-made electronics and ammunition to Russian military
    • The indictment charges him with conspiracy and other charges related to a global procurement and money laundering network on behalf of the Russian government.

United States Trade Representative (USTR)

  • United States and Mexico announce plan to remediate denials of rights at Goodyear SLP facility
    • The announcement outlined a course of remediation to address denials of rights at the Goodyear facility in the city and state of San Luis Potosí.
    • This announcement marks the fourth time the United States and Mexico have agreed on a formal course of remediation under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)'s Facility-Specific Rapid Response Labor Mechanism (RRM).
  • Ambassador Katherine Tai co-leads the meeting of the U.S.-East African Community (EAC) Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA)
    • This meeting marks the fifteen-year anniversary of the U.S.-EAC TIFA. The meeting was co-led by Dr. Peter Mutuku Mathuki, Secretary General of the EAC. The EAC is composed of seven Partner States: The Republic of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Kenya, the Republic of Rwanda, the Republic of South Sudan, the Republic of Uganda, and the United Republic of Tanzania.
    • Ambassador Tai and Partner States discussed the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the Memorandum of Understanding between the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat (AfCFTA).

Department of Commerce

  • Call for applications: Board of Directors of the Corporation for Travel Promotion
    • The Department of Commerce is currently seeking applications from travel and tourism leaders from specific industry sectors for membership on the Board of Directors (Board) of the Corporation for Travel Promotion (doing business as Brand USA).
    • The purpose of the Board is to guide the Corporation for Travel Promotion on matters relating to the promotion of the United States as a travel destination and communication of travel facilitation issues, among other tasks.

Federal Maritime Commission (FMC)

  • FMC reminds VOCCs of requirements for doing business with NVOCCs and ocean freight forwarders
    • The FMCissued an advisory reminding common carriers, including vessel-operating common carriers (VOCCs), that they "must meet their compliance obligations" when doing business with non-vessel-operating common carriers (NVOCCs) and ocean freight forwarders (OFFs).
    • Common carriers must verify NVOCCs and OFFs are compliant with all applicable regulatory and statutory requirements related to licensing, registration, tariffs, and financial responsibility before accepting or transporting cargo for the account of an NVOCC and OFF.
    • VOCCs must verify an NVOCC's compliance with all applicable regulatory and statutory requirements related to licensing, registration, tariffs, and financial responsibility before signing a Service Contract with an NVOCC.
    • "Failure to meet these obligations could result in fines or other penalties," the FMC said.

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