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It is common to hear that auto part manufacturers with plants in Mexico that export their final products or that sell them to Mexican Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), operate under trade facilitation programs that allow them to import into Mexico raw materials, machinery and equipment with certain benefits. Most of the manufacturers operate as IMMEX [...]

Based on its aggressive enforcement program and its recently issued Framework for Sanctions Compliance Programs, OFAC has established a new era in sanctions compliance. Trade compliance is often siloed into its own operation, sometimes in, and other times outside of, the compliance function. Over the next five years, we will witness a sea-change in sanctions [...]

Suppliers to the US Beware: Increased Compliance and Enforcement of Antidumping and Countervailing Duties US tariffs on steel, aluminum, solar panels, and numerous antidumping and countervailing duty (“AD/CVD”) orders on finished and raw input products have put exporters in a bind. On one hand, sourcing and supply chain decisions have become more complex and uncertain. [...]

The one constant in international trade is change, and it’s happening at a breakneck pace. New tariffs, shifting alliances, and renegotiated trade agreements have rocked markets and supply chains. Trade compliance was complex enough before, but now compliance teams have to be extra vigilant. Compliance problems can hurt your bottom line and damage your company’s [...]

Update on China 301 Tariff Exclusion Requests   Frequently Asked Questions about the Exclusion Process from Section 301 Tariffs on China. Q. How do I file for an exclusion? A. First we need to know which of the three lists of China 301 tariffs your product is on. Q. How can I find out which [...]

Incoterms are rules issued by the International Chamber of Commerce that facilitate global trade and are updated every ten years or so in an effort to keep up with the changes that take place in international trade.  The current version is Incoterms 2010, but a new version, Incoterms 2020, is expected to be released in [...]

Even as the US President Donald Trump's trade war with China ramps up, some manufacturers and retailers are not moving their factories out of China. Instead, some are taking advantage of a little-known tax law called the "first sale rule" that allows companies to significantly undercut how much they pay in tariffs. Other e-commerce players are [...]

Mexico’s Senate on Wednesdaypassed the USMCA, making it the first country to ratify the new North American trade pact. "USMCA passes! Mexico goes first with clear signal that our economy is open," Jesús Seade, Mexico's undersecretary for foreign affairs, wrote on Twitter. "We're confident that our partners will soon do the same," Seade added. Passage in Mexico [...]

What is ITAR compliance? The International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) are, as the title indicates, rules governing trade in munitions. While that summary is accurate, it leaves many open questions. What are “munitions”? How is trade in munitions defined? Who is engaged in such trade, what authorizations are United States exporters and foreign re-sellers [...]

It’s not surprising that Chinese telecommunications equipment vendor Huawei Technologies is back in the headlines. Most export control proceedings take place outside the spotlight, perhaps getting a brief mention at most on the business page. The new restrictions on Huawei differ because they have widespread impact and fit nicely into the ongoing Trade War with [...]