China sanctioned Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, following his visit last week to Taiwan. McCaul, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was subjected to an asset freeze and travel ban, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said April 13, according to an unofficial translation. The ministry said his leadership of a bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers to Taiwan and previous comments on Taiwan interfere with Chinese internal affairs.

China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations wrapped up the second round of talks on the third iteration of a free trade agreement between the parties. The trade agreement will cover cooperation in such fields as digital economy, green economy, trade in goods, investment, competition and consumer protection, sanitation and plant sanitation, standards and technical regulations, China's Ministry of Commerce said, according to an unofficial translation. The first round of talks were held virtually in February, with the April 10-12 negotiations the first offline discussion between the parties, the ministry said.

China last week sanctioned the Hudson Institute think tank and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library for hosting Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen. The two institutions let Tsai engage in political activities related to "Taiwan independence," which violated the one-China policy, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, according to an unofficial translation. The restrictions bar Chinese universities, institutions and other organizations from cooperating with the sanctioned parties. In addition, several officials from the two groups were subjected to an asset freeze and travel ban.

The Philippines recently told the Association of Southeast Asian Nations secretary-general that it ratified the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said. The Philippines' accession to RCEP will become effective June 2.

Japan agreed last week to lower Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza-related trade restrictions on U.S. poultry exports, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said in a report. The April 3 amendment to Japan’s HPAI trade restrictions “makes premises banned for an incidence of HPAI eligible to have restrictions lifted after 28 days instead of 90 days post cleaning and disinfection,” USDA said. “This brings Japan in line with World Organization for Animal Health recommendations.”

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry decided to extend the ban on all exports to North Korea and all imports originating in or shipped from North Korea, starting April 14 until April 13, 2025. Goods that are exported to North Korea for humanitarian purposes are exempt from the restrictions.

The Singapore Customs TradeNet will undergo system maintenance April 23 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time, it said April 6. 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.

Japan this week released new guidance on how companies can make sure their supply chains don’t involve human rights violations. The “practical reference materials” include “detailed explanations and examples” of supply chain due diligence steps companies can take to help them identify any potential “negative impacts on human rights,” according to an unofficial translation of an April 4 notice from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. “Specifically, we provide examples and explanations of items to be included in human rights policies, explanations of steps to identify high-risk areas in the supply chain, and reference materials for them," the agency said.

China’s General Administration of Customs published a list of “biosecurity” related goods and other “special items” along with their corresponding commodity numbers, according to an unofficial translation of an April 2 notice. The list includes imports subject to quarantine and inspection requirements, including certain nucleic acids, “pathogenic microorganisms,” “diagnostic or laboratory reagents” and more.

China and Singapore this week completed negotiations on an “upgrade” for their free trade agreement, according to an unofficial translation of an April 2 Ministry of Commerce news release. The new deal addresses market access, transparency issues and more. The two sides plan to “complete their respective domestic procedures so as to sign the agreement as soon as possible.”