India is considering a “sharp” cut in import duties on gold and a decrease in the Goods and Services Tax on other “precious metals,” according to a May 3 report from the India Brand Equity Foundation. The cuts would reduce import duties on gold from 10 percent to 4 percent, the report said, but it is unclear how much a proposed tax change would cut duties on other metals. India’s current GST for precious metals is 3percent, the report said.

The European Union and Vietnam plan to ratify the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement by the end of 2019, according to a report from Vietnam's CustomsNews website, citing HSBC. The EU has scheduled trade discussions for May 28, the notice said. The agreement will increase trade and eliminate “virtually all tariffs on goods,” according to an announcement when several of the pact's agreements were adopted by European Commission in 2018. Vietnam will remove 65 percent of import duties on EU exports “with the remainder of duties being gradually eliminated over a 10-year period,” the EU said.

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is asking for input on substances, specifically “synthetic resins,” used in food packaging, as it develops a list of approved products, the U.S. Department of Agriculture' Foreign Agricultural Service said in an April 26 notice. Japan notified the World Trade Organization last year of “its intent to replace its current negative list of synthetic resins for food packaging and container materials with a positive list,” USDA said. Since then, Japan has created a “provisional list” of substances, but is seeking input from the “foreign industry” to “ensure that the new positive list contains substances in current use, including those not commonly used in Japan but of importance to foreign operators,” the notice said.

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing issued guidance that includes information on the effects of sanctions on issuers listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange. A section on trade or economic sanctions details requirements for disclosure to investors and the ramifications of exposure to sanctioned companies and businesses.

Vietnam Customs detained five containers after discovering the number of goods inside was greater than the number declared by the company on its customs forms, according to an April 29 report from its CustomsNews website. The company, K.L Import Export Trading Production Company Limited, wrote in its customs declaration that it was importing about 3,000 stainless steel sinks from China, but the report said customs officers found more than 5,000 sinks in the containers. The products also did not have a brand label, which also violated Vietnam customs laws, the report said.

Beginning May 1, all containerized goods imported into Vietnam or exported to the U.S. through the Cat Lai Port will be scanned for radiation, according to a report from the General Department of Vietnam Customs’ mouthpiece CustomsNews website. Vietnam customs is scanning for “illegal transport of nuclear materials and radioactive materials” in any containers moving through the port, the report said.

A new Indonesian regulation requiring fresh fruit and produce to be registered with the country’s Ministry of Agriculture “could potentially be another significant non-tariff barrier to marketing U.S. fruit and nuts in Indonesia,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service said in an April 15 report. Issued in January, the regulation requires that Indonesian importers and distributors must register their products and put in place a traceability system. It also sets new labeling requirements for fruits and vegetables. “It is unclear exactly what products will be subject to this new regulation and how it will be implemented,” USDA said. The report includes a translation of the new regulation.

Soybeans, peas and pork are now seeing new barriers to importation into China, Reuters reported on April 29. The rejections and delays of those products follow an ongoing dispute over imports of Canadian canola (see 1904170029). "Now traders say Canadian soybeans and peas face unusual obstacles," Reuters reported. "Ottawa also warned last week that China was holding up pork shipments over paperwork issues."

New Chinese electric bike standards took effect April 15, according to a notice from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, and will impact the production, sale and use of the bikes. The announcement, made by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Ministry of Public Security, strengthens the China Compulsory Certification (CCC) system as applied to e-bikes, the notice said. The changes will ensure that “no restrictions are imposed on the sale of imported CCC-compliant e-bikes,” according to the notice. The changes will also improve oversight “of the relevant certification bodies and production enterprises” to ensure bikes meet the country’s standards and that “non-compliant” bikes are not sold, the notice said. The changes also dictate the “destruction” of all non-CCC-compliant e-bikes.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, speaking in Beijing to a group of 5,000, including 37 countries' prime ministers, presidents and vice presidents, said that China will continue to reform its economy in a number of ways, and that it intends to increase imports of good and services. According to an official English translation of the April 26 speech, Xi said, "China is both a global factory and a global market. With the world's largest and fastest growing middle-income population, China has a vast potential for increasing consumption. To meet our people's ever-growing material and cultural needs and give our consumers more choices and benefits, we will further lower tariffs and remove various non-tariff barriers."