China’s General Administration of Customs issued a notice Jan. 5 detailing a “zero tariff” policy on vehicles and “yachts” operating in the Hainan Free Trade Port, pursuant to the port construction master plan, according to an unofficial translation. The notice details a range of exemptions for tariffs related to transport vehicles at the port.
Singapore Customs issued guidance to industry about claiming tariff benefits for goods exported to and imported from the United Kingdom under the U.K.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (see 2012100017). The documents, issued Dec. 31, detail which tariff rates affect which imports, rules of origin criteria for exports, and the procedures for benefiting from the preferential tariffs.
Singapore announced Dec. 31 revised procedures for canceling certificates of origin and preferential COs issued by the country’s customs authority. “Do note that only unutilised CO/PCOs can be cancelled,” it said. The change, which takes effect Jan. 11, requires cancellation requests to be submitted online. Singapore said the canceled hard copy of the CO does not need to be returned to customs.
Hong Kong’s Trade and Industry Department on Jan. 4 released a list of 19 entities that are exempt from certain licensing requirements for air shipments of “strategic commodities.” The exemptions apply to airlines, ground agents and freight forwarders that are “successfully registered” and were granted a certificate of exemption by the head of the Trade and Industry Department, Hong Kong said. The list, unchanged from last year (see 2001020011), includes UPS, FedEx, DHL Aviation and Japan Airlines.
China revised its import and export declaration procedures for equipment and goods used to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, including vaccines and testing kits, a Dec. 30 notice said, according to an unofficial translation. The notice includes product and commodity codes that must be included in certain declarations. The notice took effect Jan. 1.
China’s customs authority clarified certain regulations and procedures for supervising “small” ships registered for carrying goods traveling between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macau, a Dec. 30 notice said, according to an unofficial translation. The notice includes details about China’s “midway supervision” stations for traveling boats and clarified that the boats will be subject to regular import procedures if they are carrying certain items.
India lifted export restrictions on certain types of onions, the country’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade said Dec. 28. The notice removes export restrictions on all varieties of onion, including “Bangalore Rose onions and Krishnapuram onions” and onions that are “cut, sliced or broken in powder form,” listed under two Harmonized System tariff codes. The export restrictions, initially announced in September (see 2009150019), were causing shipping backlogs at India’s ports and borders (see 2009240016).
India recently amended its regulations and standards for fortification of processed food products, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service said Dec. 27. The regulations include “permissible micronutrient fortification levels” for various processed products, including breads, pastas and breakfast cereals. The regulations take effect July 1, 2021.
China will allow imports of Vietnamese grass jelly, also known as cold powder grass, subject to phytosanitary requirements for the subject goods, the country’s General Administration of Customs said in a Dec. 28 notice, according to an unofficial translation. The notice includes quarantine and phytosanitary requirements for the imports, as agreed to earlier in the month when China and Vietnam signed a related protocol.
India recently issued new regulations and standards for alcoholic drinks, including updated requirements for “low alcoholic beverages,” such as craft beers and alcohol-free beer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service said Dec. 23. The regulations also include new labeling requirements for wine. Industry will have until July 1, 2021, to comply with the new standards and rules.