China imposed inspection and quarantine requirements on imports of aquatic products from Nicaragua, the General Administration of Customs said Oct. 25, according to an unofficial translation. The requirements apply to cultured aquatic animal goods and their products for human consumption, algae and other marine plant products, excluding the species listed in the appendix of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and China's national priorities. Would-be imports of the subject merchandise must be cultured in Nicaragua's own waters and be free of aquatic animal diseases listed in the "List of Animal Quarantine Diseases of the People's Republic of China," the customs agency said. Exporters may not use drugs or additives barred by both parties.
Samsung and SK Hynix view their one-year waiver from certain U.S. export license requirements (see 2210070049) as a deadline and have begun exploring a “Plan B” if they can’t produce certain chips in China, Nikkei reported Oct. 25. After the South Korean chipmakers received a Bureau of Industry and Security waiver to continue using controlled semiconductor equipment in China (see 2210120002), they also “started a campaign to assess the business risks of their operations in China, as well as to plan for different scenarios,” the report said. "Who knows what will come after one year? It might or might not be extended," a person familiar with Samsung’s situation told Nikkei. "The license can be [denied] so that the company could face a case-by-case review." SK Hynix also told Nikkei it’s unsure what will happen after the one-year period ends.
India recently issued an order requiring certain foreign food manufacturing facilities to register with the country before shipping items, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service said in an Oct. 24 report. The order applies to food facilities exporting milk, milk products, meat, meat products, egg powder, infant food and nutraceuticals to India. The new requirement will take effect Feb. 1, USDA said.
Vietnam recently imposed temporary antidumping duties on certain Chinese furniture, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Oct. 17. The country imposed AD rates of 21.4% and 35.2%, which will remain in effect for four months from mid-October, on certain chair and table imports from China. Vietnam imposed the duties after finding the imports were “damaging the local industry significantly.”
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has halted its work on advanced silicon for a Chinese technology startup to make sure it’s complying with new U.S. export controls (see 2210070049), Bloomberg reported Oct. 22. The Taiwanese chipmaker suspended production for Biren, one of China’s “most promising semiconductor designers,” until it can determine whether Biren’s products are covered by the U.S.’s new advanced chip restrictions, the report said. It said TSMC halted production after coming across public information that Biren’s products outperform Nvidia’s A100 chips, which are captured under the U.S. controls. TSMC didn’t comment.
Australia is seeking public feedback as it looks to modernize its free trade agreement portal, the country's trade and foreign affairs agency said this week. Australia said it’s considering “new and innovative features to enhance the user experience” and help traders “find and use the best FTA for their situation.”
The Singapore Customs TradeNet will undergo system maintenance Nov. 6 and Nov. 13 from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time, it said Oct. 21. 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.
Singapore's minister for finance announced that Goods and Services Tax will apply to imports of low-value goods for business-to-consumer transactions by extending the Overseas Vendor Registration regime starting Jan. 1, Singapore Customs said Oct. 21. Under the extended regime, Singapore defines low-value goods as items that are not dutiable, not exempt from GST, located outside Singapore, are to be delivered via air or post, and have a value not exceeding the import relief threshold of around $280. The OVR vendor will need to collect GST at the point of sale and pass the information "down the logistics chain" for the relevant GST information to be made available for the import permit application, Singapore Customs said. The customs agency also outlined the procedures for importing low-value goods via air.
Sanctioned Myanmar businessman Tay Za has for years set up shop in Singapore, where he's found shelter from U.S. sanctions, but those days may be coming to an end, Bloomberg reported. Tay Za was accused of supplying arms and equipment to the Myanmar military. Despite this, he upheld the right to live and work in Singapore despite the sanctions first imposed in 2007 and incorporated around 10 companies in Singapore operating in palm oil, teak and aviation. Most countries in Asia do not support these sanctions, though this position is becoming harder to uphold while the U.S. increases pressure on Myanmar's ruling junta and global financial regulators discuss the prospect of blacklisting the country, Bloomberg said. Signs are starting to appear that show Singapore is moving away from its practice of not interfering with its neighbors' business, criticizing the junta's regime, asking banks to increase their scrutiny of financial flows to Myanmar, and not allowing the transfer of any items that could be used to inflict violence against unarmed civilians, though Tay Za and others continue to operate in Singapore, Bloomberg said. Tay Za continues to deny he supplies arms to the military.
Australia this week renewed its “punitive” tariffs on certain Russian and Belarusian goods to further penalize Russia for its war on Ukraine (see 2203310012). The measure, which will now remain in effect until October 2023, imposes an additional 35% tariff on imports from Russia and Belarus. Australia will also reject any requests for loans or other finance that support trade with or investment in Russia or Belarus. Energy imports from Russia are already prohibited, the country noted.