Singapore authorities charged two shipping managers after they worked together allegedly to ship sugar illegally to North Korea, the Singapore Police Force said in a June 19 notice. The two managers, along with the companies Wee Tiong Pte. Ltd. and Morgan Marcos Pte Ltd., allegedly falsified shipping documents and invoices to hide the companies’ transactions with North Korean entities. Both managers face a maximum 10-year prison sentence or a fine, or both.

Japan will impose higher duties on imports of Chinese “tris(chloropropyl)phosphate” after finding that the imports were “unfairly sold” and caused “actual damage to the Japanese industry,” the country said in a June 23 notice, according to an unofficial translation. The notice says TCPP is a “liquid mainly used as a flame retardant for hard urethane insulation.” The higher tariffs will not be applied to imports from Hong Kong and Macau, Japan said.

India restricted exports of certain personal protective equipment, including several types of masks, the country’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a June 22 notice. The measure restricts exports of “medical coveralls of all classes/categories,” medical goggles, “all masks” except for “non-medical/non-surgical masks,” “nitrile/NBR gloves” and face shields. The notice contains Harmonized System codes for each of the newly restricted items. The export policy on the items is listed as “Prohibited.”

China is asking soybean shippers to provide a document certifying their shipments are not contaminated by the novel coronavirus, which could slow soybean exports to China, a June 22 Bloomberg report said. China has asked at least U.S. and Brazilian exporters to include the documents with their shipments, the report said. Earlier this week, China suspended poultry imports from a U.S. Tyson Foods plant after some employees tested positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (see 2006220023).

Australia’s Department of Defense updated its application form for the export of controlled goods and technology, a June 18 notice said. Effective June 22, Australia accepts only the new version of the form.

China and Cambodia expect to ratify before the end of the year a free trade agreement featuring increased market access for goods and services, improved investment protocols and increased regulatory alignment, according to a June 18 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. Cambodia hopes the deal delivers a boost to its exports, the HKTDC said, which will soon lose their duty-free access in the European Union (see 2003030020).

India plans to raise import duties on more than 150 goods and impose non-tariff barriers on another 100 goods in an effort to protect domestic industry, according to a June 18 Reuters report. The measures, which have been under review since April and are expected to be “gradually outlined” over the next three months, could include license requirements and stricter quality checks, the report said. The decision could target $8 billion to $10 billion worth of imports, including engineering goods, electronics, medical equipment and air conditioners, to deter “lower quality imports which render Indian products uncompetitive,” the report said. The report specifically names China as one of the countries that could be impacted.

India lifted export restrictions on hydroxychloroquine and formulations made of hydroxychloroquine, the country’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a June 18 notice. The country banned exports of the drug in March (see 2003250014).

China revised certain origin standards that will impact the mainland’s trade with Hong Kong and Macao, China’s General Administration of Customs said in a June 18 notice, according to an unofficial translation. The notice includes a revised “table of origin standards” for each region. The measures take effect July 1.

China’s Foreign Ministry criticized President Donald Trump’s signing of the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 (see 2006170064), saying it “grossly” interferes in Chinese affairs, according to a June 18 report from Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency. China said it will take countermeasures. “China will respond resolutely, and the United States must bear all the consequences arising therefrom,” the ministry said.