India's Director General of Foreign Trade in a Nov. 17 notice laid out the quantity of raw/refined sugar to be exported to the EU for 2022-2023 and the quantity to be exported to the U.S. for FY 2023. The DGFT said that 5,841 metric tons of raw/refined sugar can be shipped to the EU under the TRQ for 2022-23 and that 8,606 metric tons raw value of raw cane sugar can shipped to the U.S. under the TRQ from Oct. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2023.

China imposed plant quarantine requirements on fresh Hass avocado imports from Tanzania, the General Administration of Customs announced, according to an unofficial translation. Orchards looking to export avocados to China must be reviewed by Tanzania's Agriculture Ministry and jointly approved by the General Administration of Customs. Exporting orchards should establish good agricultural practices, maintain sanitary conditions in the orchard, clean up fallen fruit in a timely manner and implement integrated pest management, among other things, the notice said.

The G-20 this week said countries should avoid introducing food export restrictions that are inconsistent with World Trade Organization rules and stressed the importance of keeping food supply chains running. In a joint statement after their meetings in Indonesia, leaders of the G-20 nations said they are committed to keeping food supply chains “functioning under challenging circumstances.”

The Hong Kong Trade and Industry Department Nov. 11 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.

USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service reminded U.S. exporters last week that Hong Kong won’t accept U.S. poultry and egg imports from counties reporting highly pathogenic avian influenza if the bill of lading is dated on or after the effective date of a ban. Shipments loaded after the ban aren’t allowed to enter Hong Kong “regardless of the date of production,” USDA added. If U.S. exporters ship “ineligible” meat products to Hong Kong in the same container as other meat products, Hong Kong may reject the entire shipment, USDA said. As of Oct. 26, U.S. poultry and egg products from 77 counties in 17 states were still “ineligible” to ship to Hong Kong.

Japan sanctioned one individual over his actions threatening peace and security in Haiti, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Nov. 10, according to an unofficial translation. Japan imposed restrictions on Jimmy Cherizier, one of Haiti's "most influential gang leaders" and a former Haitian police officer, subjecting him to an asset freeze, according to an unofficial translation.

Singapore Customs will change its submission procedures for certain documents submitted through its NTP website starting Dec. 1, the customs agency said in a notice. The affected documents include various permits, including the "ACCESS permit queried by the Permits Compliance Branch of Singapore." Singapore said there will be a one-month transition period from Dec. 1 to Dec. 31, after which the 'submission of supporting documents for such selected permits via NTP Data Repository will not be accepted."

Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technology released a report this week examining China’s artificial intelligence workforce and shedding light on the country's efforts to invest in the AI industry. The report found that more than 30% of the Chinese job postings analyzed by the researchers could be considered AI or AI-related. The report argues that U.S. AI education and workforce policies need to “grow, cultivate, attract, and retain the world’s best and brightest,” and understanding China's AI workforce "could provide U.S. policymakers with important insight.” The findings come about a month after the U.S. announced new restrictions on advanced computing and semiconductor equipment tools, which could be used by China in AI applications (see 2210070049).

China announced new phytosanitary requirements for imports of fresh bananas from Vietnam, the General Administration of Customs announced Nov. 8, according to an unofficial translation. The restrictions apply to unripe green bananas harvested within 10-16 weeks after flowering. Exporting orchards should establish a quality management and traceability system, implement good agricultural practices and maintain the orchard's sanitary conditions, the China customs agency said.

Singapore Customs imposed a revised Goods and Services Tax rate, increasing the mark from 7% to 8% to take effect Jan. 1, Singapore Customs announced Nov. 4. The new rate will apply to all imports and goods released from licensed premises for local consumption after Dec. 31. Singapore Customs advised importers to clear their goods by Dec. 31 for in-payment (GST) and in-payment (duty and GST) permits with the 7% GST rate, but said an extension of those permits' validity period will not be allowed for permits that expire on or after Dec. 31.