India amended the export policy for certain wheat flour, the country's Directorate General of Foreign Trade said Aug. 8. Effective Aug. 14, the exports will be subject to certain government approvals, India said, and must receive a “quality certificate.”
China announced phytosanitary requirements for imported fresh pomegranates from Egypt, the General Administration of Customs said in a notice released this month, according to an unofficial translation. Imports that don’t meet inspection and quarantine requirements may be returned or destroyed.
Bangladesh’s central bank in July increased restrictions on imports of luxury goods and other “non-essentials,” the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Aug. 9. The country’s banks now impose a margin of 100% and 75% on letters of credit for luxury goods and nonessential items, respectively. HKTDC said the 100% margin applies to certain household appliances, gold, furniture, alcohol, cosmetics and other luxury items. All other nonessential goods are subject to the 75% margin. The measure doesn’t apply to certain essential goods, including medicines, baby food and certain agricultural goods and “capital machinery.”
China is preparing to tighten existing import restrictions on certain goods from Taiwan, including products labeled as originating in the “Republic of China,” Bloomberg reported Aug. 5. Beijing objects to Taiwan’s use of the “Republic of China” because it considers Taiwan part of its territory, the report said.
China announced inspection and quarantine requirements on silage imports from Nepal, the General Administration of Customs said in a notice released this month, according to an unofficial translation. Imports that don’t meet the requirements may be returned or destroyed.
China imposed sanctions on U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for her visit to Taiwan last week, China’s foreign affairs ministry said Aug. 5. China said Pelosi’s visit “constitutes a gross interference in China’s internal affairs,” but didn’t specify what the sanctions entail. The measures also apply to Pelosi’s immediate family members, China said.
China’s military exercises around the Taiwan Strait last week disrupted trade routes for cargo sailing around the world, Reuters reported Aug. 5. The exercises, conducted in response to the visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to Taiwan, forced some ships to give the Taiwan Strait a “wide berth,” the report said, adding about half a day to their voyages. The delays have affected various commodity shipments, including oil.
Vietnam imposed antidumping and countervailing duties on sugar products imported from Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar that use Thai sugar materials, the state-run CustomsNews reported Aug. 4. The trade remedies are meant to target evasion of the AD/CVD on Thai sugar and amount to a 42.99% antidumping duty and a 4.65% countervailing duty, though the imports won't be subject to the duties if it can be proven that they were made with sugarcane harvested in the five countries. The tariffs will expire June 15, 2026, unless another decision from the Ministry of Industry and Trade changes the duties.
Vietnam sanctioned M.C.V. Solution for importing goods infringing on protected trademark rights, the state-run CustomsNews reported Aug. 4. The Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department fined the company just over $21,000 for importing circuit boards infringing on Samsung trademark rights. The counterfeit Samsung goods were imported through express delivery shipments. The circuit boards were worth around $14,000.
India updated the import policy of "cyclanes, cyclenes and cycloterpenes: -- cyclohexane" imported under HS code 29021100, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade announced Aug. 4. The move drops the requirement for Bureau of Indian Standards certification for "Hexane, Food Grade."