At the end of a White House visit by Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, the two countries issued a joint statement that primarily focused on security issues but touched on trade. "We will build resilience in our societies and supply chains among like-minded partners against threats such as economic coercion, non-market policies and practices and natural disasters, accelerate global efforts to tackle the climate crisis, and advance data free flow with trust," they said. "The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) is at the center of achieving these goals."
China recently instituted measures to prevent the spread of cholera since there was a high number of cases and related deaths in 2022, the General Administration of Customs announced, according to an unofficial translation. China said aircraft, ships, containers and goods from certain countries contaminated, or suspected of being contaminated, by cholera bacteria should undergo sanitation treatment pursuant to China's already laid-out procedures. The countries include Nigeria, Cameroon, Malaysia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Haiti, Syria, Lebanon, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, among others. These practices will be in effect for six months from Jan. 10.
China imposed phytosanitary requirements on imports of fresh durian from the Philippines, the General Administration of Customs announced, according to an unofficial translation. China said it will allow imports of the fruit only from approved orchards and packaging plants registered with the Philippines' Ministry of Agriculture. Exporting orchards should set up a quality management and traceability system, implement good agricultural practices and maintain hygienic conditions, among other requirements, the customs agency said.
China announced the imposition of quarantine and hygienic requirements for imports of "edible aquatic animals" from The Comoros, the General Administration of Customs announced, according to an unofficial translation. The restrictions apply to crustaceans, fish and molluscs from the African archipelago that are shipped to China for consumption. Comorian exporting entities will be required to obtain Chinese registration qualifications and should establish and implement a self-inspection, self-control and traceability system for the safety and hygiene of the edible aquatic animals, among other requirements.
The Kissinger Institute on China and the United States director, in an article previewing U.S.-China relations in 2023, said that both countries don't want to admit they are in a cold war -- but they are.
A change included in China’s recently released annual tariff adjustment plan will revise how the country applies duties on certain poultry products and will temporarily lower tariffs on certain fish, nuts, fats and wood products, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service said in a Jan. 5 report. USDA said China will begin calculating most favored nation tariffs on certain frozen chicken products by applying the tariff on the import value rather than by volume. The country also will temporarily lower duties on frozen blue whiting, cashew, linseed, sunflower seed, cocoa fat, homogenized composite food and certain products.
Taiwan removed all U.S. goods from its list of imports that will require “enhanced” customs inspection for 2023, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service said in a Jan. 5 report. U.S. apples, avocados and paper plates were on the list in 2022. Those products will return to the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration’s “normal border inspection rate for importers in good standing, which is two to ten percent,” USDA said.
Japan and the U.S. need to coordinate investment in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and biotechnology at the same time they cooperate on export controls, according to Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan's minister of economy, trade and industry. He spoke at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Jan. 5.
Singapore Customs on Jan. 4 introduced a new permit clearance inquiry service on its networked trade platform. Since Aug. 1, Singapore no longer manually endorses cargo clearance permits (CCPs) at cargo checkpoints. Under the new system, created to help companies that still require these endorsements, "traders will only require the permit number and a Unique Entity Number (UEN) of the trader or any party involved in the shipment to perform the query" to find the clearance status of their CCPs, Singapore Customs said. The service takes effect Jan. 6.
Sri Lanka recently lifted import restrictions on 10 types of goods, the latest in a series of moves to ease controls since the country announced a host of restrictions last year (see 2212160012 and 2210030012), the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Jan. 3. The latest action will remove restrictions on imports related to tourism, sports and broadcasting, including energy drinks; radio, video and television cameras and broadcast equipment; sports equipment such as golf clubs; and “medium density fibreboard” for furniture production.