China's exports to the U.S. dropped 3.8% in August from a year earlier while its shipments to Russia jumped 26.5%, showing evidence of shifting global trade flows along geopolitical lines, Bloomberg reported. Data from China's General Administration of Customs showed that total Chinese exports rose 7.1% last month from a year earlier -- the slowest pace since April when lockdowns in Shanghai rocked shipping. Bloomberg said the drastic increase in Chinese exports to Russia is due to Chinese companies filling the gap left by Western companies leaving Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. Chinese shipments to the EU saw an 11.1% jump, with China supplying more energy-intensive goods that have become more expensive to make in Europe, the report said.
China imposed quarantine requirements for kiwis imported by refrigerated ships from Italy, the General Administration of Customs announced Sept. 7, according to an unofficial translation. China said the imports must be shipped in a separate cabin, and goods shipped to other countries are not to be loaded in the same cabin. The cabin in which the kiwifruit is located shall not be opened before arriving at the Chinese port, and each batch of goods must have sufficient measures to prevent being infected by pests, it said. China's announcement also laid out cold treatment requirements for the shipments along with entry inspection requirements.
China imposed phytosanitary requirements on imports of stevia from Zambia, the General Administration of Customs announced Sept. 5, according to an unofficial translation. The announcement laid out a list of 15 pests that the Chinese government is concerned about, including Septoria steviae and pseudomonas cichorri. The requirements said Zambia should implement quarantine on the stevia before it is shipped to China, and if live insects are found, the goods should be fumigated in warehouses or containers before being exported. A phytosanitary certificate need to be issued as well along with an English statement declaring that the consignment is from a registered processing facility. The announcement said storage warehouses should be "clean and tidy," with the stevia "stored separately."
Singapore Customs arrested a Bangladeshi national and a Singaporean national Sept. 5 for allegedly evading import duties on cigarettes, the agency announced Sept. 7. As part of the operation, it also seized over 3,700 cartons of cigarettes for which duties had not been paid. Singapore Customs officers carried out the operation at an industrial building where they witnessed two men enter the building. After one man exited, the officers checked him, finding 3,744 cartons of cigarettes wrapped in black trash bags along with 288 empty green baskets that were allegedly used as cover for the cigarettes. The agency said the duty and Goods and Services tax evaded by the men totaled $319,370 and $25,440 (in Singapore dollars), respectively. "Investigations are ongoing," the release said.
Vietnam Customs forced a company based in Dong Nai to suspend its import and export practice since the company owed nearly $350,000 in taxes, the state-run CustomsNews reported Sept. 3. Moscow Champagne has owed taxes for many years, and Vietnam Customs has repeatedly requested the company to pay its taxes, CustomsNews said. The decision to suspend import and export operations took effect Aug. 24.
India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade in a Sept. 6 notice extended until Sept. 30 the final date for which exporters can upload the relevant electronic bank realization certificates (e-BRCs), where Rebate of State and Central Levies and Taxes (RoSCTL) scrips were issued for shipping bills up to Dec. 31, 2020. After Sept. 30, no further extension will be granted and jurisdictional regional authorities can take action, DGFT said.
Chinese trade barriers to imported food cause substantial price differences between the amount Chinese buyers pay for those U.S. commodities -- including the standard tariffs -- and the national average cost of those goods, a study from USDA's Economic Research Service estimated.
China hs imposed phytosanitary requirements on imports of fresh citrus from Iran, the General Administration of Customs announced Aug. 31, according to an unofficial translation. China said fresh citrus from Iran must come from approved orchards, packaging plants and quarantine treatment facilities. Along with the requirements, China posted the list of pests of concern, including the orange-yellow whitefly Bemisia giffardi and the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata.
Solaiyappan Ramanathan, a permanent resident of Singapore, was ordered to pay a $558,000 fine by the Singapore State Courts for making false statements when applying for Preferential Certificates of Origin for goods his company exported, Singapore Customs announced Aug. 31. Solaiyappan is the former director of Feccuni Singapore Pte. and sole owner of Shakambri Overseas -- companies set up to import and export scrap metals and other metal products from local and overseas suppliers.
China announced new inspection and quarantine requirements for imports of orange fiber particles and soybean meal from Brazil, the General Administration of Customs announced Aug. 30 in separate notices, according to an unofficial translation. Orange fiber granules refer to the citrus fruits grown in Brazil as raw materials, which are obtained by liming, pressing, drying and granulating the citrus remains after extracting the juice, the notice said.