Miscellaneous International Trade Notices
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports that China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have signed an agreement to create the world's biggest free-trade area, which aims to remove all tariffs by 2010 and is a critical step in their vision of creating an ASEAN Community trade bloc by 2020. (WSJ Pub 11/30/04, www.wsj.com)
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1. China and ASEAN Sign Agreement to Create Free-Trade Area
2. U.S. to Sign Trade Partnership with Egypt, Israel to Create QIZs in Egypt
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has announced that USTR Zoellick is scheduled to sign a trade partnership that will create Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZs) in Egypt, allowing for duty-free export to the U.S. of certain Egyptian goods that contain Israeli inputs. Until now, QIZs have only been established in Jordan. (USTR press release, dated 12/10/04, available at http://www.ustr.gov/Document_Library/Press_Releases/2004/December/United_States,_Egypt_Israel_to_Launch_Historic_Trade_Partnership_USTR_Zoellick_to_Participate_in_Signing_in_Cairo.html)
3. Kerik Withdraws His Name from Consideration as DHS Secretary
On December 10, 2004, the White House announced that Bernard Kerik, President Bush's nominee for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, had withdrawn his name from consideration for that position. (White House statement, dated 12/10/04, available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/12/print/20041210-18.html.)
4. Senate Finance Chairman Expresses Disappointment of EC's Request for WTO consultations in the FSC/ETI Dispute
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley has sent a letter to the European Commission (EC) Trade Commissioner expressing disappointment over its request for consultations in the Foreign Sales Corporation/Extraterritorial Income Exclusion Act (FSC/ETI) dispute under the World Trade Organization's (WTO's) Dispute Settlement Understanding. According to Grassley, there is no basis for the EC to perpetuate the FSC/ETI trade dispute any further and that he is confident that upon review, the recently-enacted FSC/ETI repeal legislation's grandfathering of legally binding contracts will be upheld. (Grassley's letter (dated 11/18/04) available at http://finance.senate.gov/press/Gpress/2004/prg111904a.pdf.)
5. NIT League Criticizes CBP's Second Draft of Proposed C-TPAT Security Standards
On December 3, 2004, the National Industrial Transportation (NIT) League sent a letter to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) expressing "major concerns" over the second draft of the revised security standards that have been proposed by CBP to apply to importers who participate in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT). (See ITT's Online Archives or 11/19/04 and 11/24/04 news, 04111905 and 04112405, for BP summaries of CBP's second draft of proposed standards. (NIT League press release (dated 12/06/04) available at http://www.nitl.org/press36.htm. NIT League letter to CBP (dated 12/03/04) available at http://www.nitl.org/CBPFiling.pdf.)
6. Montreal Protocol Parties Agree to Limited Methyl Bromide Production
The Washington File reports that the parties to the Montreal Protocol met in Prague in November 2004 and approved, among other things, the U.S.' request to produce and import a total of 27% of the 1991 baseline consumption of methyl bromide, or about 6,900 metric tons for 2006. (Washington File Pub 11/28/04, available at http://usinfo.state.gov/gi/Archive/2004/Nov/29-685180.html)