Myanmar issued a notice June 6 that it will now allow foreign and joint venture companies to export certain foods and commodities, according to a report in the Yangon-based Myanmar Times. “Foreign companies with recommendations from relevant ministries [that] can buy the commodities from local producers will be issued licenses to export the goods,” the report said. Items authorized for export include rice, meat and fish, value-added crops, pulp and paper, seeds, refined metals, semi-finished or finished fruit products and wood-based furniture, the report said. “Notably, foreign companies in Myanmar will be allowed to export value-added rice and broken rice as well as beans, pulses and corn,” it said.

India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade is raising minimum prices for imports of broken and whole cashews, it said in a notification issued June 12. For broken cashews of Indian tariff subheading 08013210, imports won’t be allowed if the CIF value is less than 680 rupees ($9.78) per kilogram, and for whole cashews of subheading 08013220, imports are prohibited unless the CIF value is above 720 rupees ($10.35) per kilogram, the notification said. Indian cashew growers said the move would put a stop to “dumping of cheap of low-quality nuts” from Africa and Southeast Asia, according to a report in The Hindu Business Line.

The China Cotton Association will request an exclusion for uncombed cotton from Chinese retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, according to a report from Reuters. The trade group published a notice on its website June 13 asking for information from its members on their cotton imports and the impacts on their businesses, which will be used in the submission to the Chinese Ministry of Finance. The period to request exclusions from China’s retaliatory tariffs ends July 5 (see 1905290034).

Vietnam is cracking down on transshipment schemes that falsely claim Vietnamese country of origin to avoid high tariffs on Chinese goods, according to a June 13 report in CustomsNews. Vietnam Customs has discovered dozens of certificate of origin violations so far, particularly in the textiles and apparel, seafood, agricultural, steel, aluminum and timber sectors, the report said.

China appears to be formally laying the groundwork for export restrictions on rare earths, after previously only hinting in state media reports that they could be used to counter U.S. trade restrictions, according to an emailed update from the China-based consultancy Trivium. Citing a report from China's state-run Xinhua news service, Trivium said three Chinese ministries sent out survey teams June 10 to gather input from rare earths producers in several provinces. That follows three recent China National Development and Reform Commission symposiums where experts called for stricter export controls on rare earths, Trivium said. Though the survey was aimed at gathering “suggestions on how to improve protection and value of rare earths,” they also sought input on “further exerting the strategic value of rare earths and other resources,” according to an unofficial translation of the Xinhua report. The surveys signal that “Beijing is no longer hinting that it has the rare earths card at its disposal,” Trivium said. “Authorities have moved forward, and are seriously looking into the details of how exactly to implement export controls,” Trivium said. “Specifically, they are trying to understand how to minimize any negative impact on the domestic industry while maximizing external leverage.”

Hapag-Lloyd sent out a customer alert June 12 on recently imposed Indian restrictions on imports of peas. Imposed April 16, the restrictions apply to yellow peas, dun peas, kaspa peas, pigeon peas, mung beans (moong dal) and urad, and include licensing requirements, the carrier said in the emailed alert. Hapag-Lloyd said it will “continue to accept bookings of this commodity to India as it has not been prohibited rather only limited for quantity of import.” Exporters should “ascertain the validity of licenses and approvals for imports of the consignees in order to ensure that cargo is duly cleared at destination,” the carrier said. However, Hapag-Lloyd will only accept shipments of peas to India if they are accompanied by a letter of indemnity supplied by the shipper prior to booking acceptance, it said.

Vietnam Customs recently issued a deployment plan for its commitments under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), according to a June 12 report on Vietnam Customs' CustomsNews website. Under the plan, Vietnam Customs will develop a circular guiding implementation of CPTPP provisions on inspection and determination of country of origin for imported and exported goods, and with the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade will develop a decree on verification of country of origin of imported goods, customs cooperation and preferential tariff rates, according to an unofficial translation of a Vietnam Customs press release. CPTPP entered into force Dec. 30, 2018, for the first six countries to ratify the agreement -- Canada, Australia, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand and Singapore – and entered into force Jan. 14, 2019, for Vietnam.

China is preparing to allow Belarus “greater access” to its markets, according to a June 11 report from Belarus News, which cited comments made by Cui Qiming, China’s ambassador to Belarus. Cui said China is expanding market access for a range of states and will “keep promoting diversification of trade,” the report said. The ambassador also briefly touched on the U.S.-China trade negotiations, saying the dispute has caused “great concern in the international community” and that the U.S. is trying to intimidate multiple countries with tariff threats, including China, the European Union, Japan and Mexico.

Singapore’s Customs’ TradeNet, the customs window for trade declaration, will not be available June 16 from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. and July 14 from 4 a.m. to 12 p.m., Singapore said in a June 6 notice. The system will be “performing system maintenance,” the notice said. Singapore is advising users to submit applications and declarations in advance.

The Philippines Bureau of Customs (BOC) will soon deploy new computer systems in all ports nationwide in an effort “geared towards streamlining customs processes and operations.” The agency will deploy Goods Declaration Verification System (GDVS), National Value Verification System (NVVS), BOC Portal (Ticketing System), Document Tracking System (DTS), and the BOC Dashboard “this month,” the BOC said in a June 9 press release. “These systems are designed to improve transparency and reduce opportunities for corruption, and provide seamless trade services with lesser human intervention,” it said.