On 14 June 2017, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) announced that Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Keith Pitt, signed the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER Plus) at the ceremony in Nuku’alofa, Tonga.
In Hanoi, Vietnam, Trade Ministers of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum issued an actions statement reflecting the outcomes of their 23rd Meeting. Listed below are the subjects covered.
Ministers and Vice Ministers from the Trans-Pacific Partnership signatory countries issued the following Statement:
21 May 2017. Ha Noi, Viet Nam – Ministers and Vice Ministers from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Malaysia, Peru, Singapore and Viet Nam met today to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) announced that Australia and Hong Kong launched negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) on 16 May 2017. Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, and is able to enter into its own trade agreements. An Australia-Hong Kong FTA (A-HKFTA) would complement Australia’s FTA with China and further integrate the Australian economy with Asia.
On May 10, 2017, CBP issued CSMS #17-000270 FTA Origination Analysis and Certification when no Tariff Change Rule (TCR). We quote the CSMS below:
The Federal Government has announced and invited submissions on:
On 20 April 2017, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) announced that Australia has successfully concluded negotiations with New Zealand and 12 Pacific Island countries in Brisbane today to implement PACER Plus – the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations Plus. This agreement will drive economic growth and raise living standards in the region.
On April 19, 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it has signed an arrangement with the Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) recognizing each other’s food safety systems as comparable to each other. This is the third time that the FDA has recognized a foreign food safety system as comparable, the first being New Zealand in 2012 and Canada in 2016.
On 13 April 2017, the Minister of International Trade and Industry published in the Federal Government Gazette P.U. (B) 191/2017 Notice of Affirmative Final Determination of an Investigation With Regard to Steel Concrete Reinforcing Bar Products Imported Into Malaysia pursuant to the Safeguards Act 2006 which applied to steel concrete reinforcing bars that are hot rolled steel bars containing indentations, ribs, grooves or other deformation. Subsequently, on 13 April 2017, the Minister of Finance published…
In DIBP Notice No. 2017/07, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) announced that on 1 April 2017, the rates of customs duty will be reduced on certain Japanese originating goods through the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement.