China imposed quarantine requirements on edible peas and lentils from Kazakhstan and heat-treated beef from Pakistan, the General Administration of Customs said in two notices, according to an unofficial translation.

Brazil recently added 628 items and removed 36 items from its list of foreign capital goods and information technology and telecommunications goods subject to duty-free treatment under its Ex‑Tarifario regime, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported June 9. The 564 added capital goods are classified in Harmonized System chapters 84, 85, 86, 87, 89 and 90. The 64 added IT and telecom goods are classified in chapters 84, 85 and 90. Duty-free treatment lasts through Dec. 31, 2025.

The EU General Court issued a series of four opinions June 7 rejecting applications for delisting from sanctioned Belarusian individuals. The court said the European Council permissibly gave sufficient reasons to list the individuals and said the sanctions were not disproportionate. The individuals are Belarusian businessman Aleksandr Vasilevich Shakutin and university officials Aliaksandr Bakhanovich, Siarhei Rubnikovich and Siarhei Skryba.

China imposed inspection and quarantine requirements for certain wild aquatic products from Kazakhstan on June 2, the General Administration of Customs announced, according to an unofficial translation. The requirements apply to aquatic resources and their canned products that live freely in natural waters, excluding live aquatic animals and reproductive materials of aquatic animals and plants, along with appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

The Hong Kong Trade and Industry Department June 7 issued the latest version of signatures of agency officers authorized to sign and issue Delivery Verification Certificates, and import and export licenses covering strategic commodities.

China leads in a range of technologies that will be “highly relevant” to technology sharing capabilities under the Australia-U.K.-U.S. (AUKUS) security partnership, including hypersonics, electronic warfare and autonomous underwater vehicles, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said this week. ASPI, which released the data as part of an update to its critical technology tracker, which ranks leaders in various advanced technologies, said AUKUS related critical technologies “are a two-horse race between China and the US,” but China holds a "convincing" lead in 19 of the 23 technologies newly evaluated by the think tank and "has built the foundations to position itself as the world’s leading science and technology superpower."

China this week criticized the U.S. Treasury Department's recent sanctions on seven Chinese entities and six individuals for supplying Mexican drug cartels with equipment used to make illegal drugs, including fentanyl (see 2305300017). According to an unofficial translation, the Ministry of Commerce said China has always strictly enforced drug control and has worked with the U.S. to "solve the fentanyl issue." The sanctions are an "attempt to confuse" and "mislead the public," the ministry said, adding that it will work to safeguard the rights and interests of Chinese companies and individuals.

The Singapore Customs TradeNet will undergo system maintenance June 11 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time and June 25 4 a.m. to 12 p.m., it said June 5. Singapore Customs advises users to avoid submitting applications during this time. This is in addition to the usual 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. Sunday maintenance.

The USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service recently published reports on the benefits for U.S. exporters of beef, pork and cheese to Japan as the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement enters year five. The reports outline the Japanese tariff rates that apply to each product over the next several years, along with how the commodities fared last year.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the pan-Pacific trade pact, officially took effect for the Philippines on June 2, making it the 15th country to become part of the deal. A Chinese Ministry of Commerce official said the full entry into force of RCEP shows that the 15 countries have taken steps to support a free, fair and rules-based multilateral trading system, according to an unofficial translation.