Trade Update – August 7, 2023

KEY TRADE REMEDIAL UPDATES

Subject countries	Product	Investigation	Particulars
USA (Department of Commerce)
South Korea	Certain Corrosion-Resistant Steel Products	CVD	Preliminary results and partial rescission of the countervailing duty administrative review, 2021.
South Korea	Certain Steel Nails	AD	Preliminary results of antidumping duty administrative review, preliminary determination of no shipments, and partial rescission of antidumping duty administrative review, 2021–2022.
Germany	Common Alloy Aluminium Sheet	AD	Notice of initiation of changed circumstances review, and consideration of revocation, in part, of the antidumping duty order.
China	Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not Assembled Into Modules	AD, CVD	Notice of initiation of changed circumstances reviews, and consideration of revocation of the antidumping and countervailing duty orders, in part.
Indonesia	Monosodium Glutamate	AD	Preliminary results of antidumping duty administrative review, 2021–2022
Mexico	Prestressed Concrete Steel Wire Strand	AD	Initiation of circumvention inquiry on the antidumping duty order.
India	Carbazole Violet Pigment 23	CVD	Initiation of countervailing duty new shipper review.
China	Common Alloy Aluminum Sheet	CVD	Final results of countervailing duty administrative review, 2021.
India	Polyethylene Terephthalate Film, Sheet, and Strip	AD, CVD	Preliminary results of countervailing duty administrative review and partial rescission of administrative review, 2021. Preliminary results and partial rescission of antidumping duty administrative review, 2021–2022.
South Korea	Welded Line Pipe	AD	amended final results of antidumping duty administrative review in part, 2020–2021.
Various Countries	Mattresses	AD, CVD	Notification of institution of antidumping and countervailing duty investigations and scheduling of preliminary phase investigations.
South Korea	Passenger Vehicle and Light Truck Tires	AD	Preliminary results of antidumping duty administrative review, 2021– 2022
India (Directorate General of Trade Remedies)
China, Indonesia, Korea	Dispersion Unshifted Single – Mode Optical Fiber’	AD	Notification of duty table for imports from subject countries.

WTO, FTAs

• WTO regional trade policy course underway in Trinidad and Tobago
• British demands on data related issues, duty concessions on dairy out of India-UK FTA.
• 12th round of talks of the India-UK FTA are to be held from 7^th August 2023.
• India, Peru to restart negotiations on a FTA.
• Bangladesh explores joining RCEP eyeing trade in Indo-Pacific region.
• MERCOSUR meets on counterproposal for trade talks with EU.

TRADE POLICY

 Europe

• EU trade chief to push China on barriers to exports.

USA

• United States and Mexico announce plan to remediate denials of rights at an automobile parts manufacturing facility under the USMCA’s Facility-Specific Rapid Response Labor Mechanism.
• US Department of Homeland Security sanctions two additional China-based companies for forced labour violations.

India

• India and Malawi hold 2nd round of Foreign Office Consultations, reviews defence cooperation, trade and economic matters.
• Government sets deadline for pharmaceutical companies to adopt WHO-standard good manufacturing practices.
• Government mulls ‘minor tweaking’ to the production linked incentive scheme (PLI) to help pharmaceuticals and electronics.
• Government eases import restrictions on pneumatic tyres.
• PLI 2.0 for steel in the works, proposes an outlay of ?4,000 crore, cover strategic sectors like defense, nuclear research.
• Government extends application date for second phase of PLI scheme for IT hardware.

CUSTOMS

• Provision of liberal transitional arrangements for import of laptops, tablets, all-in-one personal computers, ultra small form factor computers and servers falling under HSN 8471 till 31^st October 2023.
• Amendment in import policy of laptops, tablets, all-in-one personal computers, and ultra small form factor computers, servers under HSN 8471 to ‘Restricted’.
• Amendments in conditions of the Standard Input Output Norms (SION) at E-136 for export of wheat flour.
• Para 4.73(15) of Handbook of Procedures, 2023 has been amended to modify the name of authorized laboratories for certification / grading of diamonds.
• Notification of an annual export quota (April to March) of 900 MT for Tamil Nadu for artificially propagated red sanders; and a zero export quota for wild specimens of red sanders.
• RoDTEP (Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products) scheme benefits relating to 18 HS codes under heading 5208 are being regularized.
• India has notified a draft QCO on electrical accessories at the WTO.
• The date for implementation of the track and trace system for export of drug formulations with respect to maintaining and reporting the parent-child relationship in packaging levels has been extended up to 1^st February 2024.

SANCTIONS

• Serbia to ignore US sanctions against Bosnian Serbs accused of undermining the Bosnian war peace agreement.
• Ukraine aligns with EU sanctions on Iran over drone supplies to Russia.
• EU imposes new Belarus sanctions.
• US publishes intelligence report about China’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this document is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal opinion or advice. This document is not intended to address the circumstances of any individual or corporate body. Readers should not act on the information provided herein without appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination of the facts and circumstances of a situation. There can be no assurance that the judicial/quasi-judicial authorities may not take a position contrary to the views mentioned herein