Request for Comments and Notice of Public Hearing Concerning China's Compliance With WTO Commitments, 36071-36072 [2017-16204]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 147 / Wednesday, August 2, 2017 / Notices
On July 25, 2017 (82 FR 34472), the
Secretary of Agriculture announced an
Country
additional in-quota quantity of the TRQ
for raw cane sugar for the remainder of
FY2017 (ending September 30, 2017) in
Thailand ............................
1,548 the amount of 244,690 metric tons raw
Zimbabwe .........................
1,327 value (MTRV). The conversion factor is
1 metric ton equals1.10231125 short
USTR based these allocations on the
tons. This quantity is in addition to the
countries’ historical shipments to the
minimum amount to which the United
United States. The allocations of the raw States is committed under the World
cane sugar WTO TRQ to countries that
Trade Organization (WTO) Uruguay
are net importers of sugar are
Round Agreements (1,117,195 MTRV).
conditioned on receipt of the
The Department of Agriculture also has
appropriate verifications of origin.
determined that all sugar entering the
Certificates for quota eligibility must
United States under the FY2017 raw
accompany imports from any country
sugar TRQ will be permitted to enter
for which an allocation has been
U.S. Customs territory through October
provided.
31, 2017, a month later than the typical
entry date deadline. USTR is allocating
Sharon E. Bomer Lauritsen,
this total quantity of 244,690 MTRV to
Assistant U.S. Trade Representative,
the following countries in the amounts
Agricultural Affairs and Commodity Policy.
specified below:
FY 2017 raw
cane sugar
unused
reallocation
(MTRV)
[FR Doc. 2017–16289 Filed 7–31–17; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 3290–F7–P
FY2017 raw
cane sugar
increase
(MTRV)
Country
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES
TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Fiscal Year 2017 Allocation of
Additional Tariff-Rate Quota Volume
for Raw Cane Sugar
Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Office of the United
States Trade Representative (USTR) is
providing notice of country-by-country
allocations of additional Fiscal Year
(FY) 2017 in-quota quantity of the tariffrate quota (TRQ) for imported raw cane
sugar as announced by Secretary of
Agriculture on July 25, 2017.
DATES: This notice is applicable on
August 2, 2017.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ronald Baumgarten, Office of
Agricultural Affairs, (202) 395–9583 or
Ronald_Baumgarten@ustr.eop.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant
to Additional U.S. Note 5 to Chapter 17
of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of
the United States (HTS), the United
States maintains TRQs for imports of
raw cane and refined sugar.
Section 404(d)(3) of the Uruguay
Round Agreements Act (19 U.S.C.
3601(d)(3)) authorizes the President to
allocate the in-quota quantity of a TRQ
for any agricultural product among
supplying countries or customs areas.
The President delegated this authority
to the United States Trade
Representative under Presidential
Proclamation 6763 (60 FR 1007, January
4, 1995).
sradovich on DSKBCFCHB2PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:43 Aug 01, 2017
Jkt 241001
Argentina ..............................
Australia ................................
Belize ....................................
Brazil .....................................
Colombia ...............................
Costa Rica ............................
Ecuador ................................
El Salvador ...........................
Fiji .........................................
Guatemala ............................
Guyana .................................
Honduras ..............................
India ......................................
Jamaica ................................
Malawi ...................................
Mauritius ...............................
Mozambique .........................
Nicaragua .............................
Panama ................................
Peru ......................................
Philippines ............................
South Africa ..........................
Swaziland .............................
Thailand ................................
Zimbabwe .............................
15,575
30,064
3,984
13,962
8,693
5,433
3,984
9,417
3,260
17,386
4,347
3,622
2,898
3,984
3,622
4,347
4,709
7,606
10,504
14,851
48,898
8,331
5,795
5,071
4,347
USTR based these allocations on the
countries’ historical shipments to the
United States. The allocations of the raw
cane sugar TRQ to countries that are net
importers of sugar are conditioned on
receipt of the appropriate verifications
of origin, and certificates for quota
eligibility must accompany imports
from any country for which an
allocation has been provided.
Sharon E. Bomer Lauritsen,
Assistant U.S. Trade Representative,
Agricultural Affairs and Commodity Policy.
[FR Doc. 2017–16288 Filed 7–31–17; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 3290–F7–P
PO 00000
Frm 00146
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Sfmt 4703
36071
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES
TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
[Docket Number USTR–2017–0011]
Request for Comments and Notice of
Public Hearing Concerning China’s
Compliance With WTO Commitments
Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
ACTION: Request for comments and
notice of public hearing.
AGENCY:
The interagency Trade Policy
Staff Committee (TPSC) is seeking
comments and will convene a public
hearing to assist the Office of the United
States Trade Representative (USTR) to
prepare its annual report to Congress on
China’s compliance with the
commitments made in connection with
its accession to the World Trade
Organization (WTO).
DATES: September 20, 2017: Deadline for
filing requests to appear and a summary
of expected testimony at the October 4,
2017 public hearing, and for filing prehearing briefs, statements, or comments
concerning China’s compliance with
WTO commitments.
October 4, 2017: The TPSC will
convene a public hearing in
Washington, DC concerning China’s
compliance with WTO commitments.
ADDRESSES: USTR strongly prefers
electronic submissions made through
the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments in
section 3 below. The docket number is
USTR–2017–0011. For alternatives to
on-line submissions, please contact
Yvonne Jamison, Trade Policy Staff
Committee, at (202) 395–3475.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
procedural questions concerning written
comments or participation in the public
hearing, contact Yvonne Jamison at
(202) 395–3475. Direct all other
questions to Terrence J. McCartin,
Acting Assistant United States Trade
Representative for China Affairs, at
(202) 395–3900, or Philip D. Chen, Chief
Counsel for China Enforcement, at (202)
395–3150.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
1. Background
China became a Member of the WTO
on December 11, 2001. In accordance
with section 421 of the U.S.-China
Relations Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106–286),
by December 11th of each year USTR
has to submit a report to Congress on
China’s compliance with commitments
made in connection with its accession
to the WTO, including both multilateral
commitments and any bilateral
E:\FR\FM\02AUN1.SGM
02AUN1
36072
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 147 / Wednesday, August 2, 2017 / Notices
sradovich on DSKBCFCHB2PROD with NOTICES
commitments made to the United States.
In accordance with section 421, and to
assist in preparing this year’s report, the
TPSC is soliciting public comments.
You can view last year’s report on
USTR’s Web site: https://ustr.gov/sites/
default/files/2015-Report-to-CongressChina-WTO-Compliance.pdf.
The terms of China’s accession to the
WTO are contained in the Protocol on
the Accession of the People’s Republic
of China (including its annexes)
(Protocol), the Report of the Working
Party on the Accession of China
(Working Party Report), and the WTO
agreements. You can find the Protocol
and Working Party Report on the WTO
Web site: https://docsonline.wto.org
(document symbols: WT/L/432, WT/
MIN(01)/3, WT/MIN(01)/3/Add.1, WT/
MIN(01)/3/Add.2).
2. Public Comments and Hearing
USTR invites written comments and/
or oral testimony on China’s compliance
with commitments made in connection
with its accession to the WTO,
including, but not limited to,
commitments in the following areas:
a. Trading rights.
b. Import regulation (e.g., tariffs, tariffrate quotas, quotas, import licenses);
c. Export regulation.
d. Internal policies affecting trade
(e.g., subsidies, standards and technical
regulations, sanitary and phytosanitary
measures, government procurement,
trade-related investment measures, taxes
and charges levied on imports and
exports).
e. Intellectual property rights
(including intellectual property rights
enforcement).
f. Services.
g. Rule of law issues (e.g.,
transparency, judicial review, uniform
administration of laws and regulations)
and status of legal reform.
h. Other WTO commitments.
In addition, given the United States’
view that China should be held
accountable as a full participant in, and
beneficiary of, the international trading
system, USTR requests that commenters
specifically identify unresolved
compliance issues that warrant review
and evaluation by USTR’s China
Enforcement Task Force.
We must receive written comments no
later than Wednesday, September 20,
2017.
The TPSC will convene a public
hearing on Wednesday, October 4, 2017.
If necessary, the hearing will continue
on the next business day. The hearing
will be held at 1724 F Street NW.,
Washington, DC 20508 and will be open
to the public and to the press. We must
receive your written requests to present
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:43 Aug 01, 2017
Jkt 241001
oral testimony at the hearing and prehearing briefs, statements, or comments
by Wednesday, September 20, 2017.
You must make the intent to testify
notification in the ‘‘Type Comment’’
field under docket number USTR–2017–
0011 on the www.regulations.gov Web
site and you should include the name,
address, telephone number and email
address, if available, of the person
presenting the testimony. You should
attach a summary of the testimony by
using the ‘‘Upload File’’ field. The name
of the file also should include who will
be presenting the testimony. Remarks at
the hearing should be limited to no
more than five minutes to allow for
possible questions from the TPSC.
You should submit all documents in
accordance with the instructions in
section 3 below.
We will make a transcript of the
hearing available on
www.regulations.gov within
approximately two weeks of the date of
the hearing.
3. Requirements for Submissions
In order to be assured of
consideration, we must receive your
written comments and notifications of
intent to testify in English by
Wednesday, September 20, 2017. USTR
strongly encourages commenters to
make on-line submissions, using the
www.regulations.gov Web site. On the
first page of the submission, please
identify it as ‘‘China’s WTO
Compliance.’’
To submit comments via
www.regulations.gov, enter docket
number USTR–2017–0011 on the home
page and click ‘‘search.’’ The site will
provide a search-results page listing all
documents associated with this docket.
Find a reference to this notice and click
on the link entitled ‘‘Comment Now!’’
For further information on using the
www.regulations.gov Web site, please
consult the resources provided on the
Web site by clicking on ‘‘How to Use
Regulations.gov’’ on the bottom of the
home page. We will not accept handdelivered submissions.
The www.regulations.gov Web site
allows users to submit comments by
filling in a ‘‘Type Comment’’ field or by
attaching a document using an ‘‘Upload
File’’ field. USTR prefers that you
submit comments in an attached
document. If you attach a document, it
is sufficient to type ‘‘See attached’’ in
the ‘‘Type Comment’’ field. USTR
prefers submissions in Microsoft Word
(.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). If you
use an application other than those two,
please indicate the name of the
application in the ‘‘Type Comment’’
field.
PO 00000
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For any comments submitted
electronically containing business
confidential information, the file name
of the business confidential version
should begin with the characters ‘‘BC’’.
Any page containing business
confidential information must be clearly
marked ‘‘BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL’’
on the top of that page. Filers of
submissions containing business
confidential information also must
submit a public version of their
comments that we will place in the
docket for public inspection. The file
name of the public version should begin
with the character ‘‘P’’. The ‘‘BC’’ and
‘‘P’’ should be followed by the name of
the person or entity submitting the
comments. Filers submitting comments
containing no business confidential
information should name their file using
the name of the person or entity
submitting the comments.
Please do not attach separate cover
letters to electronic submissions; rather,
include any information that might
appear in a cover letter in the comments
themselves. Similarly, to the extent
possible, please include any exhibits,
annexes, or other attachments in the
same file as the submission itself, not as
separate files.
As noted, USTR strongly urges
submitters to file comments through
www.regulations.gov. You must make
any alternative arrangements with
Yvonne Jamison in advance of
transmitting a comment. You can
contact Ms. Jamison at (202) 395–3475.
General information concerning USTR
is available at www.ustr.gov.
We will post comments in the docket
for public inspection, except business
confidential information. You can view
comments on the www.regulations.gov
Web site by entering the relevant docket
number in the search field on the home
page.
Edward Gresser,
Chair, Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office
of the United States Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2017–16204 Filed 8–1–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290–F7–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration
[Docket No. FMCSA–2017–0180]
Qualification of Drivers; Exemption
Applications; Epilepsy and Seizure
Disorders
Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration (FMCSA), DOT.
AGENCY:
E:\FR\FM\02AUN1.SGM
02AUN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 147 (Wednesday, August 2, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36071-36072]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-16204]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
[Docket Number USTR-2017-0011]
Request for Comments and Notice of Public Hearing Concerning
China's Compliance With WTO Commitments
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Request for comments and notice of public hearing.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is seeking
comments and will convene a public hearing to assist the Office of the
United States Trade Representative (USTR) to prepare its annual report
to Congress on China's compliance with the commitments made in
connection with its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
DATES: September 20, 2017: Deadline for filing requests to appear and a
summary of expected testimony at the October 4, 2017 public hearing,
and for filing pre-hearing briefs, statements, or comments concerning
China's compliance with WTO commitments.
October 4, 2017: The TPSC will convene a public hearing in
Washington, DC concerning China's compliance with WTO commitments.
ADDRESSES: USTR strongly prefers electronic submissions made through
the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments in section 3 below. The docket
number is USTR-2017-0011. For alternatives to on-line submissions,
please contact Yvonne Jamison, Trade Policy Staff Committee, at (202)
395-3475.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning
written comments or participation in the public hearing, contact Yvonne
Jamison at (202) 395-3475. Direct all other questions to Terrence J.
McCartin, Acting Assistant United States Trade Representative for China
Affairs, at (202) 395-3900, or Philip D. Chen, Chief Counsel for China
Enforcement, at (202) 395-3150.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Background
China became a Member of the WTO on December 11, 2001. In
accordance with section 421 of the U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000
(Pub. L. 106-286), by December 11th of each year USTR has to submit a
report to Congress on China's compliance with commitments made in
connection with its accession to the WTO, including both multilateral
commitments and any bilateral
[[Page 36072]]
commitments made to the United States. In accordance with section 421,
and to assist in preparing this year's report, the TPSC is soliciting
public comments. You can view last year's report on USTR's Web site:
https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/2015-Report-to-Congress-China-WTO-Compliance.pdf.
The terms of China's accession to the WTO are contained in the
Protocol on the Accession of the People's Republic of China (including
its annexes) (Protocol), the Report of the Working Party on the
Accession of China (Working Party Report), and the WTO agreements. You
can find the Protocol and Working Party Report on the WTO Web site:
https://docsonline.wto.org (document symbols: WT/L/432, WT/MIN(01)/3,
WT/MIN(01)/3/Add.1, WT/MIN(01)/3/Add.2).
2. Public Comments and Hearing
USTR invites written comments and/or oral testimony on China's
compliance with commitments made in connection with its accession to
the WTO, including, but not limited to, commitments in the following
areas:
a. Trading rights.
b. Import regulation (e.g., tariffs, tariff-rate quotas, quotas,
import licenses);
c. Export regulation.
d. Internal policies affecting trade (e.g., subsidies, standards
and technical regulations, sanitary and phytosanitary measures,
government procurement, trade-related investment measures, taxes and
charges levied on imports and exports).
e. Intellectual property rights (including intellectual property
rights enforcement).
f. Services.
g. Rule of law issues (e.g., transparency, judicial review, uniform
administration of laws and regulations) and status of legal reform.
h. Other WTO commitments.
In addition, given the United States' view that China should be
held accountable as a full participant in, and beneficiary of, the
international trading system, USTR requests that commenters
specifically identify unresolved compliance issues that warrant review
and evaluation by USTR's China Enforcement Task Force.
We must receive written comments no later than Wednesday, September
20, 2017.
The TPSC will convene a public hearing on Wednesday, October 4,
2017. If necessary, the hearing will continue on the next business day.
The hearing will be held at 1724 F Street NW., Washington, DC 20508 and
will be open to the public and to the press. We must receive your
written requests to present oral testimony at the hearing and pre-
hearing briefs, statements, or comments by Wednesday, September 20,
2017. You must make the intent to testify notification in the ``Type
Comment'' field under docket number USTR-2017-0011 on the
www.regulations.gov Web site and you should include the name, address,
telephone number and email address, if available, of the person
presenting the testimony. You should attach a summary of the testimony
by using the ``Upload File'' field. The name of the file also should
include who will be presenting the testimony. Remarks at the hearing
should be limited to no more than five minutes to allow for possible
questions from the TPSC.
You should submit all documents in accordance with the instructions
in section 3 below.
We will make a transcript of the hearing available on
www.regulations.gov within approximately two weeks of the date of the
hearing.
3. Requirements for Submissions
In order to be assured of consideration, we must receive your
written comments and notifications of intent to testify in English by
Wednesday, September 20, 2017. USTR strongly encourages commenters to
make on-line submissions, using the www.regulations.gov Web site. On
the first page of the submission, please identify it as ``China's WTO
Compliance.''
To submit comments via www.regulations.gov, enter docket number
USTR-2017-0011 on the home page and click ``search.'' The site will
provide a search-results page listing all documents associated with
this docket. Find a reference to this notice and click on the link
entitled ``Comment Now!'' For further information on using the
www.regulations.gov Web site, please consult the resources provided on
the Web site by clicking on ``How to Use Regulations.gov'' on the
bottom of the home page. We will not accept hand-delivered submissions.
The www.regulations.gov Web site allows users to submit comments by
filling in a ``Type Comment'' field or by attaching a document using an
``Upload File'' field. USTR prefers that you submit comments in an
attached document. If you attach a document, it is sufficient to type
``See attached'' in the ``Type Comment'' field. USTR prefers
submissions in Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). If you
use an application other than those two, please indicate the name of
the application in the ``Type Comment'' field.
For any comments submitted electronically containing business
confidential information, the file name of the business confidential
version should begin with the characters ``BC''. Any page containing
business confidential information must be clearly marked ``BUSINESS
CONFIDENTIAL'' on the top of that page. Filers of submissions
containing business confidential information also must submit a public
version of their comments that we will place in the docket for public
inspection. The file name of the public version should begin with the
character ``P''. The ``BC'' and ``P'' should be followed by the name of
the person or entity submitting the comments. Filers submitting
comments containing no business confidential information should name
their file using the name of the person or entity submitting the
comments.
Please do not attach separate cover letters to electronic
submissions; rather, include any information that might appear in a
cover letter in the comments themselves. Similarly, to the extent
possible, please include any exhibits, annexes, or other attachments in
the same file as the submission itself, not as separate files.
As noted, USTR strongly urges submitters to file comments through
www.regulations.gov. You must make any alternative arrangements with
Yvonne Jamison in advance of transmitting a comment. You can contact
Ms. Jamison at (202) 395-3475. General information concerning USTR is
available at www.ustr.gov.
We will post comments in the docket for public inspection, except
business confidential information. You can view comments on the
www.regulations.gov Web site by entering the relevant docket number in
the search field on the home page.
Edward Gresser,
Chair, Trade Policy Staff Committee, Office of the United States Trade
Representative.
[FR Doc. 2017-16204 Filed 8-1-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290-F7-P