China’s recently imposed export controls on gallium and germanium (see 2307050018) -- two metals used to produce semiconductors -- were for legitimate national security reasons, Beijing said this week, rebuking comments from U.S. officials and lawmakers who have said the restrictions have no justification (see 2307060053). In an Aug. 9 post on Chinese social media site Weixin, the National Security Ministry said the country's national security concerns stem from an incident in 2009, when an employee working for a global mining company in China tried to access “detailed technical analysis of dozens of Chinese iron and steel enterprises and accurate parameters of each production process.”
Australia launched a new inquiry last week to study its approach to negotiating trade agreements. The country’s Joint Standing Committee on Trade and Investment Growth is accepting submissions on issues related to Australian trade issues through Sept. 22. Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell, who asked for the inquiry, said the country has “worked so hard in the last year to advance our trade diversification agenda,” pointing to trade deals with India, the U.K. “and hopefully soon, the European Union.”
China this week criticized the recent U.S. restrictions on outbound investment in three advanced technology sectors in China (see 2308090066).
China will rescind its antidumping and countervailing duties on imports of Australian barley, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced Aug. 4, according to an unofficial translation. The duties had “effectively blocked” Australian shipments of barley since the measures were first announced in 2020, Australia’s Trade Minister Don Farrell said in a statement welcoming the news. “The removal of duties is the result of work by government and industry to resolve this matter,” Farrell said. China said the duties were officially removed Aug. 5.
India this week imposed import licensing requirements on certain electronics, including laptops, tablets, certain computers and other “automatic data processing machines” and “processing units,” the country’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade said. Certain exemptions are available, including for certain shipments sent via post or courier and for imports intended for research and development, repair and reexport, and other reasons. The restrictions took effect Aug. 3.
Japan expanded its export ban on Russia to cover a wider array of goods, including luxury cars, electric vehicles and yachts, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced, according to an unofficial translation. The ministry said the move was made to "contribute to international efforts" to resolve the war in Ukraine and will take effect Aug. 9.
China and Nicaragua completed free trade negotiations July 25, China's Ministry of Commerce announced, according to an unofficial translation. Both sides agreed to "sign and implement the agreement as soon as possible," the release said. The ministry noted the deal will provide guarantees for economic and trade exchanges and "further improve the level of bilateral economic and trade cooperation."
The U.K.-Singapore Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Authorized Economic Operators (see 2306270024) will take effect Aug. 1, Singapore Customs announced. Companies certified via Singapore Customs' Secure Trade Partnership-Plus program "can now benefit from facilitated clearance for their goods exported to the UK," Singapore Customs said. Companies certified under the U.K.'s AEO program will have the same benefits. The announcement outlines the steps companies must take under the arrangement, including having exporting or importing firms obtain the AEO code from their U.K. business partners.
A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce said China is "deeply dissatisfied" with Japan's export restrictions on semiconductors (see 2303310031), which took effect July 23 "[d]espite China's serious concerns." The spokesperson said during a press conference this week that the country has made "serious démarches to Japan at various levels." Imposing trade restrictions "to push for decoupling and disrupt" high-tech supply chains is "wrong and against the law of the market economy, the principle of free trade and international economic and trade rules," the spokesperson said. China wants Japan to keep its larger trading relationship in mind and "not to abuse export controls," the spokesperson said.
Cambodia recently approved a new draft law to set rules of origin for exports and imports under the country’s preferential trade systems, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported July 21. The rules are meant to help identify the origins of Cambodian products for “quality assurance purposes and brand protection” and protect domestic from “the illegal practice of importing goods then reexporting them as Cambodian products,” HKTDC said.