Miscellaneous International Trade Notices
The Washington Post reports that at least 34 companies, including Symantec, Adobe, Northrop Grumman and Dow Chemical were subject to computer attacks, which are thought to have originated in China as part of a concerted political and corporate espionage effort. (Washington Post, dated 01/14/10)
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1. Press Reports on Computer Attacks Against U.S. Firms, Thought to Have Originated in China
2. ITA Issues November 2009 Export Fact Sheet, Includes TPP Data
The International Trade Administration has issued a fact sheet containing November 2009 U.S. export statistics. Among other things, the fact sheet states that U.S. exports of goods and services increased by 0.9% in November 2009, while imports increased 2.6%. The fact sheet also states that in November, the U.S. exported $5.6 billion in goods to the countries that are participating in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement negotiations (Australia, Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam). (Fact sheet, dated 01/12/10, available at http://www.commerce.gov/s/groups/public/@doc/@os/@opa/documents/content/prod01_008784.pdf)
3. BIS Announces Availability of Presentations from Update 2009 Export Conference
The Bureau of Industry and Security has announced that video and slide presentations from the Update 2009 Conference on Export Controls and Policy, held September 30-October 2, 2009, are now available online. (Presentations, posted 01/14/10, available at http://bisecp.videohostpro.com/)
4. Registration Open for NCBFAA Annual Conference
Registration for the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America's Annual Conference is open. The conference will be held from April 11 - 14, 2010 in San Antonio, Texas. (Notice, posted 01/14/10, available at http://www.ncbfaa.org/events/content.cfm?ItemNumber=10035)
5. DDTC Temporary Website Outage Jan. 15th, D-Trade Not Affected
The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls has announced that the DDTC web server will undergo essential system upgrades on Friday, January 15, 2010 from 5:30 a.m. EST until 8:00 a.m. EST. During this time the pmddtc.state.gov website will be unavailable. D-Trade is not affected and will remain online. (Notice, dated 01/13/10, available at http://www.pmddtc.state.gov/documents/IndustryNotice_20100113.pdf)
6. ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA Entered Into Force Jan. 1, 2010
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations states that the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA (AANZFTA) entered into force on January 1, 2010. Eight of the 12 Parties - Australia, Brunei, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and Viet Nam - are now implementing the Agreement and the commitments they have made. The newer ASEAN Member States - Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Viet Nam - have longer time frames. Under the AANZFTA, tariff reductions started gradually on January 1, 2010 with free trade to be fully realized by 2015. (Press release, dated 01/12/10, available at http://www.aseansec.org/24194.htm)
7. India Releases Agricultural Trade Statistics, Discusses Measures Used to Boost Exports
India's Department of Commerce has issued export data on India's export of agricultural products from 2006-2009. The press release states that the value of exports of the agricultural products has increased by about 40% during the last 3 years. (Press release, dated 01/13/10, available at http://commerce.nic.in/pressrelease/pressrelease_detail.asp?id=2525)
8. India Announces New Incentives for Exporters
India's Department of Commerce has announced a new series of incentives for exporters in a wide variety of areas including electronics, rubber, chemicals, plastics, carton boxes, carpets, leather, jewelry, handicrafts, agriculture, etc. (Press release, dated 01/12/10, available at http://commerce.nic.in/pressrelease/pressrelease_detail.asp?id=2524)
9. FDA Corrects Deadline in Availability Notice of Draft Tobacco Guidance
The Food and Drug Administration is correcting a notice of availability of a draft guidance that appeared in the December 28, 2009 Federal Register, entitled "Tobacco Health Document Submission." FDA is correcting the notice to state that information required under section 904(a)(4) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act is required to be submitted to FDA as of December 22, 2009, although FDA does not intend to enforce this deadline provided the manufacturer or import submits by April 30, 2010 (corrected from April 30, 2009). (D/N FDA-2009-D-0600, FR Pub 01/14/10, available at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-576.pdf)
10. DOE Announces Testing Guidance for Certain Refrigerator-Freezers
The Department of Energy is announcing its guidance to ensure the consistent application of DOE's current test procedure to refrigerator-freezers with French doors, bottom-mounted freezers, and through-the-door (TTD) ice service (French door TTD models). (FR Pub 01/14/10, available at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-570.pdf)
11. BIS Issues 14th Annual Defense Trade Offsets Report
The Bureau of Industry and Security as updated its Freight Forwarder Guidance to include, among other things, more detailed information on the responsibilities of the forwarding community. BIS has also added more details on routed and non-routed export transactions, and a section on "Mitigating the Risk and Building a Private-Sector/Public-Sector Partnership." (Report, updated 01/07/10, available at http://www.bis.doc.gov/complianceandenforcement/freightforwarderguidance.htm)