The Philippines recently extended a 5% tariff on certain imported chicken and turkey, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service reported this week. The tariff, now in place through Dec. 31, 2024, imposes the tariff on imports of “mechanically deboned or separated poultry,” USDA said.
South Korea arrested an oil broker who allegedly organized the shipment of 18,000 tonnes of diesel to North Korea without receiving the proper approval, the South Korean coast guard announced, according to an unofficial translation. The diesel was shipped 35 times from October 2021 to January 2022. A Russian oil tanker run by a South Korean supplier carried out ship-to-ship transfers with a Chinese vessel in the South China Sea. This vessel then made its own ship-to-ship transfers with a North Korean vessel, the coast guard said.
India set new registration requirements Feb. 1 for foreign food manufacturing facilities that intend to export certain products to India, including milk, meat (including poultry and fish), egg powder, infant food and nutraceuticals, despite FDA’s request for a delay to the implementation date, FDA said in an emailed release that day.
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in a Jan. 31 notice extended the taxable period of antidumping duties on polyethylene terephthalate with a high degree of polymerization from China for another five years, until Feb. 2, 2028. The 39.8% to 53% duties were initially imposed for the Dec. 28, 2017, to Dec. 27, 2022, period.
China signed an authorized economic operator mutual recognition agreement with the Philippines earlier this month, according to a report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. It’s the first such agreement for the Philippines. “Goods exported by AEO enterprises in both countries will enjoy lower inspection rates and other trade facilitation measures under the arrangement,” the report said.
A recent raft of import restrictions by the Sri Lankan government should have a “limited impact” on U.S. agricultural exporters in terms of trade value, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service said in a report this month. The restrictions apply to various “non-essential items,” USDA said, including food and agricultural products such as milk, chocolate, tree nuts and certain “food preparations.” The report includes a table of affected items along with their Harmonized System codes.
The Singapore Customs TradeNet will undergo system maintenance Feb. 5 and Feb. 12 from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time, it said Jan. 20. Singapore Customs advises users to avoid submitting applications during this time. This is in addition to the usual 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. Sunday maintenance.
Indonesia recently introduced new rules aimed at streamlining its customs procedures for exports, including a “simplified mechanism” for submitting export notifications, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Jan. 13. The rules, which took effect Jan. 1, also aim to simplify procedures surrounding “export consolidation; freight companies’ obligations; goods loading and transportation; as well as mechanisms for goods tracking and inspection,” HKTDC said. Indonesia expects the measures to aid the country’s logistics system and harmonize the flow of goods and international documents.
India recently began an antidumping investigation on certain printed circuit boards from China and Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Jan. 18. India initiated the probe at the request of the Indian Printed Circuit Association, which said the imports “have caused material injury to the local industry,” the report said. The current investigation covers items imported July 2021 through June 2022, while the injury investigation covers April 2018 through June 2022.
Future U.S. presidential candidates should put forth an aggressive agenda to tackle China trade issues, including stronger export controls, experts with the American Enterprise Institute said in a blog post this month. The post, by AEI senior fellows Derek Scissors, Zack Cooper and Dan Blumenthal, includes a range of suggestions for presidential candidates to form a “comprehensive policy on how to approach the economic, military, and political threats that China poses.”