The United Kingdom and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations released a joint statement on the future of economic cooperation between the two sides. The Sept. 15 statement includes commitments on various categories including COVID-19 economic recovery, U.K.-ASEAN supply chains, regulatory practices, digital innovation, financial services, sustainable growth, infrastructure, skills and education, small and medium enterprises, women's economic empowerment and public-private sector partnerships. The U.K. and ASEAN largely used the document to itemize many of the current efforts taken to increase economic cooperation between the two parties and to make general pledges for future cooperation.

The United Kingdom has delayed until July 1, 2022, post-Brexit border checks on safety and security that had been scheduled to begin in January, Brexit minister David Frost said in a Sept. 14 statement. However, full customs declarations and controls will continue with their original Jan. 1 release date. The July 1 date will apply to Phytosanitary Certificates, physical checks on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) goods at Border Control Posts, and Safety and Security declarations on imports. The pre-notification requirements of SPS goods has been extended from Oct. 1 to Jan. 1, the statement said, and the new Export Health Certificate requirements extended from Oct. 1 to July 1.

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries were to meet Sept. 15-16 to review the European Union's proposal for a ban on export credits to “unabated international coal-fired electricity generation projects,” the European Commission said. The EU submitted the proposal alongside Canada, South Korea, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the U.S. "Export credits constitute an important element in the promotion of international trade," the EC news release said. The commission sees banning such export credits as crucial to leveling the playing field in combating climate change with regard to international trade partners and as an extension of its recent call for a global phase-out of “environmentally harmful fossil-fuel subsidies.” The commission independently pledged “to propose to end” export credits for its coal-fired power industry in its 2021 Trade Policy Review.

The British Parliament banned the Chinese ambassador from attending an event hosted at the legislative house in retaliation for China imposing sanctions on British lawmakers who pointed out human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang province, Reuters reported Sept. 14. China sanctioned nine British lawmakers and four businesses in March for their comments on the treatment of the Uyghur Muslim population in Xinjiang (see 2103260014). The speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, and the speaker of the House of Lords, John McFall, barred Ambassador Zheng Zeguang from speaking at the event, Reuters said.

The United Kingdom's Department for International Trade and HM Treasury will host webinars on post-Brexit international trade sanctions Sept. 21 at 10 a.m. EDT and Sept. 23 at 10 a.m. EDT.

The United Kingdom's International Trade Secretary Liz Truss met with India's Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal Sept. 13 to lay out the scope for a U.K.-India free trade agreement, the Department for International Trade said. Following DIT's public consultation in August, the meeting sought to further flesh out the two sides' positions on key issues such as tariffs, standards, intellectual property and data regulation, the release said. The officials also discussed the new U.K.-India Enhanced Trade Partnership, committing to timely implementation of the market access agreement. The results of the DIT's public consultation will be published prior to any negotiations of a broader FTA, DIT said.

The United Kingdom launched the UK Shipping Concierge service to support maritime businesses looking to crack into the U.K. market, the Department for International Trade said. The 24/7 service, which went live with the Sept. 13 start of London International Shipping Week, is tasked with “boosting the nation’s maritime sector, by offering a proactive service to any maritime business that needs assistance with navigating government departments.” Benefits include a single point of contact for all U.K. government departments, strategic account management with U.K. government experts, and the identification and removal of barriers to entry to the U.K. maritime sector, DIT said.

The European Commission opened a consulting period on amendments to its Blocking Statute, publishing an impact assessment on the regulation. The commission has received responses from the Italian Banking Association; Spectaris, the German Industrial Association for Optics, Photonics, Analytical and Medical Technology; the Medical Engineering Industry Association; and two anonymous sources. The consulting period will run for 12 weeks from the beginning of August. The impact assessment originally said that the blocking statute should be changed due to the increasing complexity and proliferation of extraterritorial sanctions and the European Union's exposure to certain third countries (see 2108110014). The blocking regulations are meant to protect EU businesses from extraterritorial sanctions, including those imposed by the U.S., which are increasingly leading to global sanctions compliance issues in Europe.

The United Kingdom's Export Control Joint Unit conducted a review and reassessment of all the individual licenses authorizing direct or indirect supply of controlled items to Afghanistan, the Department for International Trade said. An undisclosed number of these licenses were found to no longer be consistent with the Consolidated European Union and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria and were subsequently revoked. The licensees were notified, DIT said Sept. 10.

The United Kingdom faces potentially permanent shortages of food and drink items due to a 500,000-worker shortage, Ian Wright, head of the Food and Drink Federation, said, Bloomberg reported Sept. 10. Due to a lack of truck drivers, slaughtermen and engineers, supply chains have been completely upended in the British food industry, Wright said. This is due, in part, to European Union nations returning to the trade bloc after Brexit, Wright said at a webinar hosted by the Institute for Government think tank. “It’s going to get worse, and it’s not going to get better after getting worse any time soon,” he said. The prime minister's office rejected the claims, Bloomberg said.