Hong Kong plans to update and strengthen its regulatory control of certain “harmful substances” in foods and food imports, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service reported Jan. 14. The changes will affect substances in food “with respect to three types of mycotoxins” and other substances found in “edible fats and oils,” condiments and infant formula products, USDA said. Hong Kong submitted the proposed changes to the World Trade Organization. Public comments are due March 15.
China announced procedures to “fast track” entry and exit customs clearances for certain railway trains, the country’s General Administration of Customs said Jan. 14, according to an unofficial translation. The notice details how “railway operating enterprises” and others can apply for “express” services and submit information and data electronically. The changes aim to “further unblock the large international logistics channel that opens to the west,” promote China-Europe freight trains, and improve the efficiency of domestic railways for freight transportation. The railway rapid customs clearance initiative is called Fast Pass.
China recently issued two new catalogs of trade-restricted goods, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council said Jan. 18. The restrictions are in conjunction with its obligations under several multinational conventions covering organic pollutants and mercury. The lists, which took effect Jan. 1, cover goods under 75 tariff codes, including certain pesticides in retail packaging, battery packs with cells that contain mercury, fluorescent lamps and mercury‑containing cosmetics.
Malaysia increased its export tariff on crude palm oil from 6.5% to 8% this month, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Jan. 6. The move was made after the December end to exemptions to such tariffs for domestic exporters that were in place since June 2020 to help mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Huawei is increasing its investments in local chip companies to stabilize its supply chain amid a host of U.S. export restrictions on the company, the Nikkei Asia newspaper reported Jan. 13. Since being cut off from certain imports from many global semiconductor suppliers, the company has invested in 20 semiconductor-related companies during the past year and a half, the report said, and is building a “small-scale chip production line for research purposes” in Shenzhen, China. Ten of Huawei’s recent investments came after the U.S. amended its foreign direct product rule in May to further restrict Huawei’s ability to source foreign-made products containing a certain amount of U.S.-origin goods (see 2008170029), the report said. Nikkei also said Huawei is receiving government support to find new “targets for investments,” with one being China-based SiEn Integrated Circuits Co., Ltd. The investment would help Huawei with a range of chip services, the report said, including design, production, packaging and testing. Huawei didn’t comment.
China criticized trade restrictions announced by the United Kingdom and Canada this week, which included export controls, import restrictions and other penalties for involvement with forced labor practices in Xinjiang. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson dismissed the allegations and urged both countries to reverse the measures. “Is there the slightest seriousness in their foreign policies?” the spokesperson said Jan. 13, according to a transcript of a regular news conference provided by the ministry. The comment was made in response to a question from a Reuters reporter, according to the transcript. “The U.K. and Canada should immediately revoke their erroneous decision, stop meddling in China's internal affairs and harming China's interests.”
Vietnam recently updated its import restrictions on certain waste materials, according to a Jan. 7 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The country outright banned 13 varieties of waste materials and scrap, and listed 23 other categories of waste that “remain permissible,” HKTDC said. Banned for import are gypsum, certain chemical elements used electronics, certain scraps sourced from plastics, silk waste, yarn waste and remelted scrap ingots of iron and steel. Also blacklisted are: tungsten, molybdenum, magnesium, titanium, zircon, antimony and chromium fragments. Waste or scrap products that are still allowed include cast iron, steel, tinned iron, certain types of plastics -- such as those derived from polyvinyl chloride -- and some forms of glass.
China issued a set of new rules and regulations to protect its firms against extraterritorial U.S. sanctions and to allow for penalties for complying with U.S. restrictions. The rules, issued Jan. 9 by the country’s Ministry of Commerce, allow China to restrict its people and companies from complying with foreign sanctions or else face Chinese sanctions, according to an unofficial translation of the regulations. The rules, which don’t mention the U.S. specifically, include reporting obligations, a legal process for complying with Chinese law over U.S. sanctions and outlines a working mechanism that will oversee the process.
Japan is seeking “participants” for a project to pursue research and development for 5G infrastructure and advanced semiconductor manufacturing technology, the country’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Jan. 8. The project is being run by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, which is hoping to “strengthen” Japan’s semiconductor manufacturing abilities, the ministry said, according to an unofficial translation. The agency is carrying out an “open call for development” of those technologies and will select certain businesses to participate in the project. The recruitment period, which began Jan. 8, ends Feb. 8.
China temporarily suspended poultry imports from France due to an “avian influenza” outbreak in that country, a Jan. 5 notice said, according to an unofficial translation. All illegal imports of poultry or poultry products from France will be returned or destroyed, China said.