China issued a set of new rules and regulations to protect its firms against extraterritorial U.S. sanctions and to allow for penalties for complying with U.S. restrictions. The rules, issued Jan. 9 by the country’s Ministry of Commerce, allow China to restrict its people and companies from complying with foreign sanctions or else face Chinese sanctions, according to an unofficial translation of the regulations. The rules, which don’t mention the U.S. specifically, include reporting obligations, a legal process for complying with Chinese law over U.S. sanctions and outlines a working mechanism that will oversee the process.
Japan is seeking “participants” for a project to pursue research and development for 5G infrastructure and advanced semiconductor manufacturing technology, the country’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Jan. 8. The project is being run by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, which is hoping to “strengthen” Japan’s semiconductor manufacturing abilities, the ministry said, according to an unofficial translation. The agency is carrying out an “open call for development” of those technologies and will select certain businesses to participate in the project. The recruitment period, which began Jan. 8, ends Feb. 8.
China temporarily suspended poultry imports from France due to an “avian influenza” outbreak in that country, a Jan. 5 notice said, according to an unofficial translation. All illegal imports of poultry or poultry products from France will be returned or destroyed, China said.
China’s General Administration of Customs issued a notice Jan. 5 detailing a “zero tariff” policy on vehicles and “yachts” operating in the Hainan Free Trade Port, pursuant to the port construction master plan, according to an unofficial translation. The notice details a range of exemptions for tariffs related to transport vehicles at the port.
Singapore Customs issued guidance to industry about claiming tariff benefits for goods exported to and imported from the United Kingdom under the U.K.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (see 2012100017). The documents, issued Dec. 31, detail which tariff rates affect which imports, rules of origin criteria for exports, and the procedures for benefiting from the preferential tariffs.
Singapore announced Dec. 31 revised procedures for canceling certificates of origin and preferential COs issued by the country’s customs authority. “Do note that only unutilised CO/PCOs can be cancelled,” it said. The change, which takes effect Jan. 11, requires cancellation requests to be submitted online. Singapore said the canceled hard copy of the CO does not need to be returned to customs.
Hong Kong’s Trade and Industry Department on Jan. 4 released a list of 19 entities that are exempt from certain licensing requirements for air shipments of “strategic commodities.” The exemptions apply to airlines, ground agents and freight forwarders that are “successfully registered” and were granted a certificate of exemption by the head of the Trade and Industry Department, Hong Kong said. The list, unchanged from last year (see 2001020011), includes UPS, FedEx, DHL Aviation and Japan Airlines.
China revised its import and export declaration procedures for equipment and goods used to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, including vaccines and testing kits, a Dec. 30 notice said, according to an unofficial translation. The notice includes product and commodity codes that must be included in certain declarations. The notice took effect Jan. 1.
China’s customs authority clarified certain regulations and procedures for supervising “small” ships registered for carrying goods traveling between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macau, a Dec. 30 notice said, according to an unofficial translation. The notice includes details about China’s “midway supervision” stations for traveling boats and clarified that the boats will be subject to regular import procedures if they are carrying certain items.
India lifted export restrictions on certain types of onions, the country’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade said Dec. 28. The notice removes export restrictions on all varieties of onion, including “Bangalore Rose onions and Krishnapuram onions” and onions that are “cut, sliced or broken in powder form,” listed under two Harmonized System tariff codes. The export restrictions, initially announced in September (see 2009150019), were causing shipping backlogs at India’s ports and borders (see 2009240016).