CBP Announces International Registered Traveler (IRT) Pilot Program
Applications to be an initial participant in the pilot program should be submitted by May 12, 2008 and the pilot program will commence on June 10, 2008. Applications to participate will be accepted throughout the duration of the pilot and are available through the Global On-Line Enrollment System (GOES) at www.cbp.gov. At this point, applicants must be either a U.S. citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident (LPR).
Expedited clearance will be effected using automated kiosks located in the Federal Inspection Services (FIS) area of each participating airport. IRT uses fingerprint biometrics technology to verify a participant's identity and confirm his or her status as a IRT participant. After arriving at the FIS area, the participant will proceed directly to the IRT kiosk. A sticker affixed to the participant's passport at the time of acceptance into the IRT program will provide visual identification that the individual can be referred tot he IRT kiosk. IRT participants need not wait in the regular passport control primary inspection lines.
In the Federal Register notice, CBP invites public comments concerning any aspect of the pilot program, provides eligibility requirements for voluntary participation in the pilot program, describes the basis on which CBP will select participants, and describes how the IRT program will operate.
National Retail Federation Advocates for Improvements in WTO Rules
“One of the key
objectives of American retailers in the Doha round is to obtain
improvements and clarifications in the rules governing the use of
anti-dumping and countervailing duty actions against imported
products that will prevent abusive and unfair use of these measures
and ensure that they do not undermine the competitiveness of U.S.
retailers, manufacturers, and farmers,” NRF Vice President and
International Trade Counsel Erik Autor said. “We will carefully
review the text released today to ascertain whether it can serve as
a basis for achieving the retail industry’s goals in these
negotiations.”
China Agrees to End Subsidies Challenged by the U.S. in the WTO
China agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that is designed to settle a WTO case that the United States and Mexico initiated in February 2007. In the WTO case, the U.S. had alleged that China was maintaining several subsidy programs that are prohibited under WTO rules. The USTR states that most of the challenged subsidies were tied to exports, giving an unfair advantage to Chinese products and denying U.S. manufacturers the chance to compete fairly with them in the U.S. and in third countries.
Under the MOU, China has committed to complete a series of steps by January 1, 2008 to ensure that the WTO-prohibited subsidies cited in the U.S. complaint have been permanently eliminated, and that they will not be re-introduced in the future.
The agreement was made only two weeks before the USTR is to join Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. and other Cabinet members for a high-level meeting of the "strategic economic dialogue" with China that Paulson launched last year to reduce tensions with China.
The USTR's remarks on this issue can be found here.
President Bush Addresses the White House Forum on International Trade and Investment
We've negotiated fair agreements, and now it's up to the Congress, it's time for the Congress to pass these trade agreements to help build a hemisphere that lives in liberty, and trades in freedom, and grows in prosperity. These trade bills are important economic measures, and they are important national security measures, as well.
WTO Hosting Global Review of Aid for Trade
The Global Aid-for-Trade Review is the focal point of WTO's monitoring mandate for 2007. It will provide an overview of what is — and what is not — happening in the delivery of Aid-for-Trade, including current flows, existing gaps, and where improvements need to be made. It will also create incentives — by shining a “spotlight” on the issues — to deliver more and better Aid-for-Trade, and to strengthen mutual accountability between partner countries and donors.
A tentative program can be found here.