China this week launched an investigation on whether certain imported dairy products from the EU unfairly benefit from subsidies and should face additional duties, the country’s commerce ministry said, according to an unofficial translation. The probe will look into imports of certain fresh cheese, processed cheese and curd, including blue cheese and milk and cream with a fat content of more than 10%, China said.

China soon will impose new export controls on a set of key critical minerals, including antimony, and technology used to process those minerals, the country’s commerce ministry said Aug. 15, according to an unofficial translation. Antimony can be used in the production of certain batteries, weapons and more. The minerals and technology “have a significant impact on national security,” China said, and exports will need a license before they can be shipped abroad. The controls take effect Sept. 15.

China last week imposed sanctions against U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., for frequently making "remarks and actions that interfere in China's internal affairs and undermine China's sovereignty, security and development interests," China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, according to an unofficial translation. The ministry said it will impose an asset freeze and travel ban on McGovern.

China lifted its antidumping measures on Japanese stainless steel products July 23, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced, according to an unofficial translation.

South Korea sanctioned Hong Kong-based shipping company HK Yilin Shipping Co. and the North Korean-flagged vessel, called Tok Song, for violating sanctions on North Korea, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced July 18, according to an unofficial translation. A vessel owned by Yilin Shipping took coal from Tok Song in March in a ship-to-ship transfer off North Korea's coast, the ministry said. Future financial exchanges with the shipping company will require prior approval from South Korea's Financial Services Commission or the Governor of the Bank of Korea. The government said it "will continue to take strong and consistent law enforcement measures against ships and shipping companies involved in the transport of prohibited goods."

Japanese authorities last week arrested the representative of a trading company for allegedly illegally exporting controlled items subject to sanctions on Russia, Baker McKenzie said in a client alert. The Russian citizen's arrest marks the first of its kind in Japan involving illicit exports to Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.

China recently updated the list of products whose foreign production facilities are required to register under Decree 248, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said in a report this month. China removed from the list 13 products and added 60 products, with changes affecting certain aquatic products; edible vegetable oils; frozen, dried and canned fruits; candied fruits; fresh and dehydrated vegetables; grain products, milk products, nuts and seeds; and more. It said, "Some of the updates are not complete removals of the products but additions of the same products with different Customs, Inspection, and Quarantine (CIQ) codes."

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it opposes legislation planned by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., that could lead to new sanctions on Chinese military firms.

Hong Kong’s Trade and Industry Department is asking industry to submit permit applications and reports for activities involving certain chemicals controlled by the Chemical Weapons Convention, the agency said this month. Hong Kong requires operators of certain facilities that work and trade with the chemicals to submit annual reports, which are then submitted to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the international implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The annual reports must contain details about past and “anticipated activities” involving controlled chemicals. Violators of the reporting requirements, including facilities operating without the required permits, may face fines and imprisonment. Facilities must report certain activities by July 19.

Beijing renewed its antidumping duties on imports of Japanese and U.S. optical fiber preforms, saying in a July 10 notice that the imports will damage China’s domestic industry if the duties are allowed to lapse. The tariffs will remain in place for five years from July 11, according to an unofficial translation.