On April 26, 2018, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued CSMS #18-000307 GSP Goods Subject to Section 201 Measures, which provides additional Information with respect to articles of Thailand or Philippines, which are covered by Section 201 safeguard remedies (certain solar cells, solar panels, washing machines, and washing machine parts). According to the CSMS:
On July 14, 2017, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) published in the Federal Register a notice providing country-by-country allocations of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 (October 1, 2017 through Sept. 30, 2018) in-quota quantity of the tariff-rate quotas for imported raw cane sugar, certain sugars, syrups and molasses (also known as refined sugar), specialty sugar, and sugar-containing products.
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.
Tariffs, quotas and other traditional trade barriers are gradually declining with the growth in free trade agreements. As the regional market gains strength in this sector, the Asia Pacific Food Law Guide offers key insights on food laws in 11 jurisdictions across Asia Pacific.
On 27 October 2016, the WTO announced that the Philippines has ratified the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), becoming the 95th member of the WTO to do so. The Philippines’ instrument of acceptance was submitted to the WTO on 27 October 2016. The TFA will enter into force once two-thirds of the WTO membership has formally accepted the Agreement. The Philippines’ acceptance means over 86 per cent of the ratifications needed for entry into force have…
Republic Act (RA) No. 10863, otherwise known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), was signed into law on 30 May 2016
The CMTA amended the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines (TCCP) with the aim of modernizing Customs rules and procedures for faster trade, reduce opportunities for corruption, improve Customs service delivery and improve supply chain.
On October 11, 2016 the Bureau of Customs (BOC) announced that the first Customs Administrative Order (CAO) that will implement a salient feature of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA, Republic Act (RA) No. 10863) has already been signed and approved.
On November 13, 2015, President Aquino approved Republic Act № 10697, “An Act Preventing the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction by Managing the Trade in Strategic Goods, the Provisions of Related Services, and for Other Purposes.” The legislation requires the State to manage the trade of strategic goods and provision of related services in accordance with international standards and best practices. The Act applies to any person operating within the Philippines who engages or intends…
On November 21, 2015, the President’s Press Secretary released a Joint Statement on the ASEAN-U.S. Strategic Partnership. At the 3rd ASEAN-U.S. Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United States elevated their relationship to the ASEAN-U.S. Strategic Partnership to strengthen the role their relationship plays in realizing a common vision of a peaceful, prosperous Asia-Pacific region that offers security, opportunity and dignity to all its…