CAFC reverses CIT & rules that certain hardwood flooring is plywood.In Boen Hardwood Flooring, Inc. v. U.S., the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) ruled that certain hardwood flooring, which consists of laminated floor panels that are composed of three layers, is classifiable under HTS 4412.29 as other plywood.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has initiated an antidumping (AD) duty changed circumstances review of automotive replacement glass windshields from China to determine whether Shenzhen CSG Automotive Glass Co, Ltd. (Shenzhen CSG) is the successor-in-interest to Shenzhen Benxun AutoGlass Co., Ltd. (Shenzhen Benxun) for purposes of determining AD duty liability.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued its weekly quota commodity report as of March 1, 2004. This report includes tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) on various products such as beef, tuna, sugar, dairy products, peanuts, cotton, cocoa powder, tobacco, certain JFTA, NAFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA TRQs, etc. This report also includes the AGOA, ATPDEA, CBTPA, NAFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA tariff preference levels (TPLs) for qualifying apparel and/or other textile articles, the TRQs on worsted wool fabrics under HTS 9902.51.11 & 9902.51.12, etc. (CBP's weekly quota commodity report, dated 03/01/04, available at http://www.customs.ustreas.gov/xp/cgov/import/textiles_and_quotas/commodity/)

On February 12, 2004, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued its first version of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on its final rule requiring the advance electronic presentation of information pertaining to cargo (sea, air, rail, or truck) prior to its being brought into, or sent from, the U.S.

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has posted to its Web site a notice detailing its next upcoming informational seminars entitled, Navigating the Regulations, which will be held in St. Louis, MO and Des Plaines, IL on April 6 & 8, 2004, respectively. The FMC states that these seminars provide an overview of the responsibilities of vessel operators, ocean transportation intermediaries (OTIs) and maritime shipping services users in U.S. foreign trades.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice announcing that on December 23, 2003, the U.S. requested World Trade Organization (WTO) consultations with Egypt regarding the import duties that Egypt applies to textile and apparel products. The USTR believes that the duties Egypt actually applies (on a "per article" basis) greatly exceed the ad valorem bound rates that Egypt agreed to apply in the Uruguay Round of WTO negotiations.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has preliminarily determined to revoke the antidumping (AD) duty order on extruded rubber thread from Malaysia for all entries with a time of entry on or after October 1, 2003, the first day of the most recent period of administrative review and the only period for which an administrative review has not been completed.

Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department decides, based on all relevant information, to recommend that Americans avoid travel to a certain country. The following have been issued since BP's most recent update:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a notice stating that it has been directed by the Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) to allow entry of textiles and apparel from Daewoo El Salvador, S.A. de. C.V. and to cancel an earlier December 2003 directive denying entries from this manufacturer. (See ITT's Online Archives or 02/25/04 news, 04022530, for BP summary of CITA notice allowing entry from this manufacturer.) (TBT-04-005, dated 02/27/04, available at http://www.cbp.gov/ImageCache/cgov/content/import/textiles/tbt/tbt2004/tbt_5f04_5f005_2edoc/v1/tbt_5f04_5f005.doc)

According to a State Department Washington File article, the third and final round of negotiations aimed at integrating the Dominican Republic into the U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) began in Washington, DC on March 8, 2004. The article states that during the week of March 8, 2004, U.S. and Dominican officials hope to conclude negotiations to add the Dominican Republic to the CAFTA accord reached between the U.S. and Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. (Washington File article dated 03/08/04, available at http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2004&m=March&x=20040308162754ASrelliM5.480593e-02&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html.)