South Korea Customs published a June 30 guidance for the implementation of free trade agreement customs duties for travelers' belonging from the European Union, the United Kingdom, Turkey and the European Free Trade Association, according to an unofficial translation. The application of simple customs procedures for travelers' carry-on items will be expanded to travelers from the EU, the U.K., Turkey and the EFTA. The declaration of origin written in the attached form will be accepted from these travelers. A purchase receipt or certificate of origin when applying for preferential treatment submission will now be allowed.
Although COVID-19 pandemic-related slowdowns are affecting ports in south China and Taiwan, Hong Kong ports appear to be operating smoothly, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service said in a June 28 report. USDA said Hong Kong ports are accustomed to running with a “high degree of efficiency” and are able to process the more “frequent route changes during the pandemic” despite increased demand for services. However, turnaround times in Hong Kong have increased beyond the two- to three-hour norm as more shipping lines have larger transshipment volumes, the report said. The report also includes information on increased market freight prices.
China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs recently issued a notice seeking comments on new measures affecting licensing for a range of agricultural items and drugs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service said in a June 28 report. The measures apply to licensing requirements including for veterinary drug registration, pesticide registration, planting seed variety registration and the biotechnology approval processes, USDA said. Parties with “administrative matters falling under MARA’s purview” should consider submitting comments to the agency by the July 2 deadline.
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in a June 29 white paper on international economy and trade identified four global goals emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic era. It cited a larger economic role for governments, strengthened economic security across the globe, increased interest in common values such as the environment and human rights, and the digitalization of business. The U.S. and the European Union focus on supply chain resiliency was and will continue to be a large emphasis for global economies, the report said. Risk management methods must change and digital technologies must be used to foster supply chain resilience moving forward, the white paper said.
Hong Kong this month updated its export control lists for certain chemical weapons and strategic commodities to align its regulations with multilateral export control groups. The revisions reflect control changes recently made by the Wassenaar Arrangement, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Australia Group and the Chemical Weapons Convention, Hong Kong’s Trade and Industry Department said June 11. Hong Kong said it added controls on four sets of “toxic chemicals” and newly developed technologies such as “read-out integrated circuits” used for “night vision capability.” It also “relaxed controls” on some dual-use items, including “signal analysers, supercomputer, [and] radio equipment having quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) techniques.”
Hong Kong’s Trade and Industry Department on June 28 issued an updated list of officers authorized to sign delivery verification certificates and trade licenses for imports and exports of “strategic commodities.”
China banned the import of cattle and related products from Cambodia amid an outbreak of bovine nodular skin disease, China's General Administration of Customs said in a June 25 announcement, according to an unofficial translation. The disease was detected in a village in Preah Vihear, Cambodia.
India will allow 50,000 metric tons of the legume tur to be imported from Malawi, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a June 24 public notice. India will evaluate annually in January the total quantity of tur (pigeon pea) imports from Malawi. Should any shortfall exist, the remaining quantity will be released for import from any other country.
China’s General Administration of Customs issued updated customs inspection regulations for imported recycled iron and steel raw materials, according to an unofficial translation of a June 18 notice. The notice also includes other updated industry standards.
China's General Administration of Customs issued new procedures for handling administrative penalties, according to an unofficial translation of a June 15 notice. The notice details the agency's procedures for investigating penalties, holding penalty hearings and more.