Australia’s trade agreements with Hong Kong, Peru and Indonesia will provide significant benefits for Australian importers, including a series of reduced tariffs on a “broad range” of goods, according to a Jan. 20 KPMG post. Deals with Hong Kong, which took effect Jan. 17; Peru, which takes effect Feb. 11; and Indonesia, which is expected to take effect during the first half of 2020, will “deepen economic cooperation” and “increase certainty in trading” with all three countries, KPMG said.

China held its first round of trade negotiations with Cambodia in Beijing, Jan. 20-21, China’s commerce ministry said Jan. 21, according to an unofficial translation. The two countries discussed trade in goods, rules of origin, improving customs procedures, reducing “technical barriers” to trade and improving phytosanitary measures. The two sides recently completed a “joint feasibility study” for the free trade negotiation, China said.

China announced plans to substantially reduce its use of plastic by 2025, which will include curbs on plastic waste imports, according to a Jan. 19 report from Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency. China said it will “gradually ban or restrict the production, sales and use of certain plastics” over the next five years, including introducing “prohibitions on … imports of plastic waste.”

A Singapore woman was fined $52,000 for making false declarations, breaching permit conditions and other customs violations, Singapore Customs said in a Jan. 20 press release. The woman also failed to deposit dutiable goods in a licensed warehouse and gave the customs agency “false supporting documents” in violation of the country’s Customs Act. The woman, Heng Sok Tian, is the manager of Tania Asia Logistics Pte Ltd and Free Trade Zone Logistics & Transportation, Singapore said.

China’s General Administration of Customs launched a “Smart Customs” initiative to incorporate “new-generation technologies to achieve smarter customs control,” according to a Jan. 16 press release. The initiative aims to better connect “all parties in the international supply chain,” the press release said.

Singapore Customs will transition from hard copies to emails for all correspondence relating to certificate of origin matters, the agency said in a Jan. 17 notice. This includes correspondence relating to the agency’s “circular or notices,” manufacturer registration or renewal letters, verifications of cost statements and letters of acknowledgement. Singapore is advising companies to update their contract information, particularly their email addresses, so they can continue correspondence with Singapore Customs. The agency will transition to emails by Feb. 15 and will “cease acceptance” of hard copy manufacturing cost statements by March 1, the notice said.

Singapore Customs’ TradeNet will undergo system maintenance from 4 a.m. to 12 p.m. local time on Feb. 2 and Feb. 9, Singapore said in a Jan 15 notice. The agency is advising users to avoid submitting applications during this time. This is in addition to usual maintenance on Sundays from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m.

China’s General Administration of Customs recently announced that certain equipment, technology, components and spare parts are exempt from import tariffs, according to a Jan. 16 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The changes, which took effect Jan. 1, apply to goods that are imported for “self-use under contracts for domestic investment projects,” the report said. The items must also fall under the “encouraged” categories in China’s 2019 “Industrial Structure Adjustment Guidance Catalogue.” Although they are exempt from import tariffs, the goods remain subject to import-related value-added taxes, the report said.

Laos no longer requires permits to import auto parts used in domestic manufacturing and assembly, according to a Jan. 16 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. Previously, companies were required to undergo a series of administrative procedures to secure a permit, the HKTDC said. Although a permit is no longer required, companies will need to submit reports each year by Dec. 10 containing details of the auto parts they plan to import the following year. The change is part of an effort by Laos’ prime minister to “streamline” import, export and temporary import for export procedures, the report said. The effort also includes a proposal to create an electronic system to pay import and export fees.

China’s Ministry of Commerce released a Chinese version of the phase one U.S.-China trade deal on Jan. 16. The deal was signed Jan. 15 and includes a series of commitments by China to increase purchases of U.S. agricultural, manufacturing and energy-related goods (see 2001150073).