Mara Lee

Fresh, frozen, dried, pickled and smoked fish, as well as shrimp, fish sticks, and fish meal, covered by dozens of Harmonized Tariff System codes, will be banned from import if any was caught in the Gulf of California unless importers sign a document that says no gillnets were used, CBP said in a CSMS message detailing the scope of the ban imposed on Aug. 14 (see 1808140013). Importers will need to sign a document that certifies that "to the best of my knowledge and belief, that the fish/fish products contained in this shipment are of species of fish or fish products, or from fisheries, not caught with gillnets deployed in the range of the vaquita, in the upper Gulf of California waters in Mexico." The ban is due to an injunction from the Court of International Trade. Nonprofits that brought the lawsuit hope such a ban will force Mexican fishermen to reform their practices, because gillnets have strangled and drowned vaquita porpoises, which are nearly extinct.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will hold a public hearing on Sept. 26 on whether Turkey should continue to receive Generalized System Preferences program benefits in light of Turkey's retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. (see 1808060021). Comments and requests to appear at the hearing are due by Sept. 12, and post-hearing briefs are due by Oct. 17, USTR said in a notice.

Turkey will hike tariffs on American cars, tobacco, liquor and more in response to President Donald Trump's decision to double tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum. Although Trump named both metals, only the 50 percent tariff on Turkish steel has gone into effect (see 1808120001). Turkey published a list of 22 tariff lines that will be subject to higher tariffs, from 4 percent on oil derived from coal to 140 percent on liquors. Cars will face a 120 percent duty; steel structures, tobacco, cosmetics and acetate cellulose film will face a 60 percent duty. The notice was dated Aug. 14, and according to an informal translation, if import declarations are made within 45 days of the publication, the previous duty will apply.

President Donald Trump said in a tweet on Aug. 10 that a deal with Mexico is nearly in hand. Canada will have to wait, and he plans to put heavy pressure on Canadian officials to make concessions, because "their Tariffs and Trade Barriers are far too high," he said. "Will tax cars if we can’t make a deal!"

The ban on fish and shellfish harvested in the Upper Gulf of California in Mexico near an endangered species of porpoise is "effective immediately," the Court of International Trade ruled Aug. 14. The administration had argued that the regulatory process to create a certificate of admissibility, which involves multiple entities within the federal government, could not be done immediately (see 1808080005). "The Court discerns no merit in the Government’s suggestion that the import ban is not effective immediately," CIT said. "The Court reiterates that it is effective immediately."

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, after two days of discussions with Japanese Minister for Economic Revitalization Toshimitsu Motegi, said the two sides "had frank discussions" on their respective views on trade and investment. They will be exploring "ways to fill the gap between their positions and to promote trade between the United States and Japan," USTR said in an emailed statement.

Mexico's economy minister said U.S. and Mexican negotiators are making headway on NAFTA revisions, but declined to enumerate how many hurdles have been crossed in weeks of intensive work. Ildefonso Guajardo had spoken about 20 items being negotiated at the ministerial level last week (see 1808030004). "We started with a huge list of items to be closed, now we have been able to reduce that a great deal, and we are basically trying to do the best effort to close up. But still, there are things that have to be resolved," he told reporters Aug. 10.

President Donald Trump said he will double tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum because of the movement of the Turkish lira. " Aluminum will now be 20% and Steel 50%," he tweeted. "Our relations with Turkey are not good at this time!" The Turkish Embassy did not immediately respond with a comment. The country is also facing potential removal from the Generalized System of Preferences due to its tariffs on U.S. goods in response to the Section 232 tariffs (see 1808060021).

The European Union only accounts for 10 percent of U.S. liquefied natural gas exports, but European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said U.S. regulations are a barrier to faster growth. "The growing exports of U.S. liquefied natural gas, if priced competitively, could play an increasing and strategic role in EU gas supply; but the U.S. needs to play its role in doing away with red tape restrictions on liquefied natural gas exports," Juncker said in a press release issued Aug. 9. He noted that there has to be prior regulatory approval before each export to Europe.

A Trump ally on trade says getting Mexico and Canada to agree to country-of-origin labeling for beef and pork should be part of the NAFTA negotiations. Bringing back COOL was not in the NAFTA negotiating objectives presented to Congress last year. The Coalition for a Prosperous America says that bringing COOL back will boost domestic agriculture. "If the president wants to extend his ‘Buy American, Hire American’ agenda to the nation’s agricultural sector, then we need to revise our food labeling policies,” CPA Chairman Dan DiMicco said. "Americans undoubtedly want to buy safe, domestically farmed beef and pork."