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Goods made in Hong Kong for export to the United States will need to be labelled as made in China after Sept. 25, according to a U.S. government notice posted on Tuesday. The move follows China’s imposition of a national security law on Hong Kong and a U.S. decision to end the former British colony’s special status under U.S. law, escalating bilateral tensions that were already rising over trade war tariffs and the handling of the coronavirus outbreak. The latest step will see Hong Kong companies subject to the same trade war tariffs levied on mainland Chinese exporters, should they...

The head of Florida's Division of Emergency Management has accused U.S. mask manufacturer 3M of shipping the critical protective equipment to foreign countries who outbid U.S. buyers -- even as hospitals and state officials desperately scramble to secure N95 protective masks for healthcare workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. Jared Moskowitz told "Tucker Carlson Tonight" Thursday that he discovered that 3M distributors were prioritizing foreign buyers after they refused to sell him the essential equipment. "For the last several weeks, we have had a boiler room chasing down 3M authorized distributors [and] brokers representing that they sell the...

In a significant move, India has banned the export of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-Malaria drug that is believed to work as a medicine for treating Coronavirus infected patients as well. According to a late-night notification by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the export of medication and the composition ingredients used for its manufacturing have been banned. "The export of Hydroxychloroquine and formulations made from Hydroxychloroquine under any ITCHS Code... is prohibited with immediate effect," the DGFT under the ministry said in the notification. Recently, the national task force for COVID-19 constituted by Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has recommended...

Chinese consumers are not happy about higher prices and decreased supplies of food.  Yesterday, Chinese buyers snapped up "at least 10 boatloads of soybeans," according to Reuters, as the U.S.-China trade war showed signs of compromise.  The South China Morning Post reports: Beijing will allow Chinese businesses to purchase a "certain amount of farm products such as soybeans and pork" from the United States, according to the Xinhua report. "China's market is big enough and there's great potential to import high-quality US farm products." The official Xinhua News Agency reported on Friday that China's National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce made...

China is threatening to take the trade war to the next stage: cut off rare earth metal supplies to US technology and defense industries. That’s according to a couple of Globaltimes editorials.” US faces squeeze on rare earths,” says one editorial. “US need for rare earths an ace on Beijing’s hand,” goes another. “Without a reliable domestic supply, the US must rely on rare earths from China to supply industries of strategic importance,” acknowledges Hu Weijia, author of the second editorial. “Rare earths are vital to many modern technologies and a wide array of weapon systems used by the US...

The US economy surged “unexpectedly” in the first quarter of 2019 to 3.2% growth. Economists predicted a 2.5% growth. Jack Posobiec ✝️ ✔ @JackPosobiec 🔥 Piers Morgan ✔ @piersmorgan BREAKING: US first-quarter GDP rockets by 3.2%, vs 2.5% expected growth. Brace yourselves Trump-haters, if the economy keeps doing so well, President @realDonaldTrump will be almost unstoppable in 2020. 277 9:11 AM - Apr 26, 2019 Twitter Ads info and privacy 113 people are talking about this This won’t make many headlines… The US economy was boosted by a SHRINKING trade gap. Via the Wall Street Journal.

BMW announced this week that, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, it again leads America in automotive exports by sales value. This is thanks to the plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, BMW’s biggest global plant and the producer of most of its X crossovers and SUVs. BMW said the plant—which makes all the X3, X4, X5, X6, X7 models and their M and hybrid versions sold worldwide—exported 234,689 cars abroad in 2018, a value of more than $8.4 billion. BMW said 356,749 SUVs were made there in total.

The United States became a net oil exporter last week for the first time in almost 75 years, a significant step toward achieving “energy independence and dominance,” as promoted by President Donald Trump. The United States had been a net oil importer since 1949. In the last week of November, however, weekly U.S. net imports of crude oil and petroleum products fell to minus 211,000 barrels per day (bpd), meaning the country became a net exporter of that amount, according to data from U.S. Energy Information and Administration. The news came on the back of a surge in crude exports...

The United States trade deficit dropped in May to the lowest level in 19 months as exports rose to a record level. The Department of Commerce announced the May trade deficit — the difference between what America sells and what it buys in foreign markets — decreased 6.6 percent to $43.1 billion — the smallest imbalance since October 2016. Exports climbed 1.9 percent to a record $215.3 billion. Imports were up a smaller 0.4 percent to $258.4 billion. The Trump administration followed through with imposing tariffs on $34 billion in Chinese products on Friday. China retaliated in kind, starting what...

India is set to emerge as a key market for American crude exports in coming months, as refineries are ramping up "test" purchases of US grades to diversify their imports. US exports recently set a weekly record with nearly 2 million barrels of crude a day sent overseas. But shipments to India+ have been rare, with just a few deliveries since the US lifted its ban on crude exports in late 2015. Indian refineries are starting to increase purchases as the country seeks to secure more supply from outside the Middle East. Refiners are testing both US sweet and sour...

The first shipment of U.S. anthracite coal to Ukraine is now heading from the U.S. port Baltimore, with a ceremony to mark the launch of the trade broadcast live on Facebook by the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States on Aug. 21. Pennsylvania-based XCoal Energy and Resources signed a contract with Ukrainian state energy company Centerenergo on July 31, guaranteeing the provision of 700,000 tons of anthracite coal in the next few months. The deal followed talks by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s with U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s administration in June. The first shipment of 62,000 tons, which cost...

[snip]Of all the egregious forms of modern day slavery, none is more despicable or far reaching than the export of slave labor by North Korea. It's estimated that North Korean slave labor is utilized in over 45 countries around the world.... [snip]In addition to their trade activity, these various organizations also operate hotels, Korean themed restaurants and gift stores selling traditional crafts, principally in China and Russia, all of which are staffed by North Korean laborers.

Suppressors are currently under the jurisdiction of the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC). That means suppressors may not be sold to individuals overseas, only to approved governments. Suppressors are not extraordinary high technology. Sophisticated suppressors are not secrets. They can be produced by any concern with modern machinery. The current restrictions were put in place by a memorandum from the Department of State in 2002, a few months after the attack on 9/11.  While U.S. manufacturers are forbidden to sell to individuals overseas, foreign manufacturers are not.  A bill was introduced in the House of representatives in 2016...

Bank of America Merrill Lynch Do you know what your country’s biggest export is? Now, thanks to this map put out by the Bank of America Merrill Lynch, you can find out. The map does not include the export of services, but highlights some interesting insights and global trends. Part of their Transforming World Atlas, the report highlights “how many countries in the world are dependent on commodities as the primary source of foreign income.” In a volatile global commodities market, it is a reminder of the risk posed by falling oil prices to economies around the world. The...

The ink is barely dry on legislation to lift a 40-year-old ban on exporting U.S. crude and energy companies already are jockeying to ship American oil overseas. Two tankers filled with freely traded U.S. oil have pulled out of Texas ports in the past two weeks, with more shipments expected. The first American oil sales abroad are flowing to Europe but, in the longer term, Latin America and Asia could become natural markets, according to industry experts. U.S. oil sales to foreign buyers have been quick to start after President Barack Obama signed the bill that abolished the crude export...

**SNIP** "These refineries provide transportation fuels and home heating oil for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of American families". Upton wrote, lifting the ban may spur investment to expand the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port to allow for imports and exports, which would create "a two-way trading hub" that could shift global focus to Louisiana's Gulf Coast, making it a "global hub" for the industry. There's consensus on at least one thing - most analysts agree we probably won't feel the effects of the end of the ban for a while, not even in the next year. The U.S. produced...

The lifting of a decades-old ban on crude oil exports primes Corpus Christi to become a key oil hub in the coming years, but it also dampens interest in expensive projects to export condensate, an ultralight oil not subject to the long-standing restriction. In the short term, the South Texas port city probably will see a drop-off in announcements for new condensate splitters and stabilizers -- processing equipment necessary to prepare condensate for export under previous rules. Midstream operators are rethinking those plans now that federal legislation, passed and signed into law just last week, allows producers to ship all...

NEW YORK (AP) - The U.S. could soon end restrictions on oil exports put in place in the mid-1970s. The lifting of the embargo is part of a spending deal expected to be pushed through the House and Senate by the end of the week. Here are the reasons why the ban was in place, why is it is now being lifted and how consumers and businesses will be affected. GAS LINES Of all the bad memories seared into the American consciousness from the 1970s, never-ending lines at the gas pump tops the list for many people. The Organization of...

The US House on Dec. 3 approved by a 249-174 vote an energy bill with provisions to authorize crude oil exports and facilitate natural gas pipeline construction. Members cast ballots largely along party lines, with nine Democrats joining Republicans in favor of the measure, and three Republicans siding with Democrats against it. HR 8's chances of becoming law appeared dim, however, because it acquired the crude export provision when the House added it as an amendment a day earlier. The White House said it opposes that concept, and the US Senate does not appear ready to take the matter up....

The host of the Jacki Daily show has had an impressive career in energy, law, and politics. Most recently, Jacki served as General Counsel to an engineering firm specializing in energy, national security and environmental cleanup. Previously, she served many years as legal counsel on Capitol Hill to the Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Constitution and the former Ranking Member of the Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee, advising on the oversight of federal agencies. Prior to her career in Washington, she worked as a corporate litigator, and as an Assistant Vice President for a national bank. She entered...