The U.K.'s Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch will start the sixth round of trade talks on a U.K.-India free trade agreement during a trip to New Delhi this week, the Department for International Trade announced Dec. 12. Badenoch will meet with Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and address both teams of negotiators before the formal negotiating round begins. The talks will center on cutting tariffs and broadening opportunities for U.K. services, including financial and legal, the DIT said. Badenoch also will meet with business leaders "to better understand their needs for a modern UK-India trade relationship."

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations renewed a memorandum of understanding that presents trade restrictions on imports of certain “essential goods and supplies,” the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported this month. The MOU was renewed until Nov. 30, 2024, and covers 351 tariff lines, including 92 new lines agreed to this month. It covers various agricultural products, food items, pharmaceuticals, sanitary goods and products relating to vaccines.

Australia on Dec. 7 issued guidance on its implementation of the Russian oil price cap, including how it defines financial services and information on a “general permit” that will authorize certain oil-related activities. The price cap, implemented by G-7 countries, the EU and Australia, took effect Dec. 5 (see 2212050014).

Sri Lanka recently proposed the phasing out of certain fees and tariffs, including para-tariffs on imports, the Customs Excise and Cess (CESS) levy and Ports and Airports Development Levy (PAL), the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Dec. 1. The country proposed para-tariffs to be phased out in five years from Jan. 1, the CESS levy within three years, and the PAL within five years, except for levies on solar panels and inverters. Sri Lanka also will revise its “current three-band customs import duty system” of 0%, 10% and 15%, to 0%, 15% and 20%, respectively, HKTDC said.

The Singapore Customs TradeNet will undergo system maintenance Dec. 18 from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time, it said Dec. 2. 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 imposed antidumping duties on hot-dipped galvanized steel wire from South Korea and China, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced Dec. 2. Following an investigation that began in June 2021, METI and the Ministry of Finance found duties were needed to protect the domestic industry in Japan. The duties range from 9.8% to 41.7%, and are in effect Dec. 8, 2022, to Dec. 7, 2027.

India extended the validity of pre-shipment inspection agencies (PSIAs) as laid out in the Appendix 2G of Appendices and Aayat Niryat Forms (A&ANF), from Dec. 3 to Dec. 31, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade announced.

China recently imposed plant quarantine requirements on imports of certain sweet potatoes from Vietnam and certain fresh bananas from Indonesia, the General Administration of Customs announced, according to an unofficial translation. Exporting banana orchards and packaging plants must be registered with the Agricultural Quarantine Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture of Indonesia and jointly approved by China's customs agency. These orchards should also implement a quality management and traceability system, implement Good Agricultural Practices, maintain hygienic conditions and clean up fallen fruits in a timely manner, China said.

China recently announced it will waive tariffs on 98% of taxable imports from nine African countries beginning Dec. 1, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported last week. The waived tariffs will apply to certain goods from Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Bissau, Lesotho, Malawi, Sao Tome and Principe, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, the report said. The measure will apply to 8,786 items, including certain agricultural products and chemicals, and will eventually expand to cover “all least-developed countries which have diplomatic ties with China.”

A Chinese invasion of Taiwan, or any other type of “conflict” initiated against the island by Beijing, would have “immediate and dramatically negative effects on China’s ability to import and export goods” and would spur a range of international sanctions, the Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a Nov. 22 report. CSIS said the U.S. and other Western countries would impose strict sanctions and export controls against China, which would “probably persist for months or perhaps years after a conflict, even if U.S. military forces are defeated” in the case of a war.