China announced a ban on poultry from Vidin Province, Bulgaria, due to an outbreak of Newcastle disease in the city, a July 31 notice said, according to an unofficial translation. Chinese customs authorities will seize and destroy all illegally imported poultry products from the region, the notice said.

China has met only 5% of its purchase commitments of U.S. energy products through the first half of 2020, falling significantly short of the $25.3 billion in commitments outlined in the phase one trade deal, Reuters reported Aug. 4. China has imported about $1.29 billion worth of U.S. energy products, including crude oil, liquefied natural gas and metallurgical coal, the report said. Trade experts have said China is unlikely to meet the deal’s commitments, partly due to worsening U.S.-China relations and the COVID-19 pandemic (see 2006100053). China said in July it still plans to fulfill the commitments despite a series of recent U.S. sanctions and export restrictions (see 2007160024).

China has begun an antidumping investigation on imports of U.S. polyphenylene ether, an Aug. 3 notice said, according to an unofficial translation. China said it expects to complete the investigation before Aug. 3, 2021.

Vietnam recently imposed antidumping duties on “biaxially oriented polypropylene film products” originating in China, Malaysia and Thailand, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council said July 27. The film, typically used in “packaging materials,” will be subject to a duty rate of 9.05% to 23.71% for five years. The products are classified under two Harmonized System subheadings -- 3920.20.10 and 3920.20.91. The decision came after Vietnam determined that the “sales volume, profit margins, market share and production capacity” of its domestic film producers had “declined significantly over recent years” due to cheaper imports from the three countries. Vietnam is, however, offering duty exemptions for imports of the film because some of its producers “lack the capacity” to manufacture it.

India revised its export controls for a range of personal protective equipment, the country’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a July 28 notice. It set new monthly export quotas and restrictions for medical goggles, “ply surgical masks” and certain gloves but removed export controls from certain medical coveralls, non-medical masks and face shields.

China’s Ministry of Commerce criticized a U.S. decision on July 22 to add 11 Chinese entities to its Entity List (see 2007200026), calling it another case of “abused export controls,” a July 28 notice said, according to an unofficial translation. The sanctions are related to human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region. China said the move will cause “serious damage” to trade. “This is not good for China, not good for the United States, and not good for the whole world,” the ministry said. “China urges the U.S. to immediately stop its wrongdoing and will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.”

China will allow imports of certain dairy products from Croatia, the country’s General Administration of Customs said in a July 23 notice. The notice contains inspection and quarantine requirements for the imports.

India revised its export procedures for approvals and shipments of certain personal protective equipment, the country’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade said July 20. The measure revises a previous notice that set a monthly export quota for medical coveralls (see 2007010006) by outlining new “eligibility criteria” for the exports, including required documents and limits on the number of applications that can be submitted per month. India said export licenses will be valid for three months.

Hong Kong’s Trade and Industry Department is urging companies to submit license applications electronically July 20-26, due to government-mandated work-from-home measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said July 19. The department said it is suspending “counter services” during this time but can receive documents online or through physical mail.

China will allow imports of fresh mangoes from Cambodia, the country’s General Administration of Customs said in a July 16 notice, according to an unofficial translation. The notice includes information on quarantine and phytosanitary requirements for the imports.