China's General Administration of Customs issued a list of goods subject to zero tariffs when imported into the Hainan Free Trade Port, it announced Nov. 30, according to an unofficial translation. The tariff policy, which took effect Dec. 1 and will be in place until 2025, will exempt import duties, value-added import taxes and consumption taxes for certain “raw and auxiliary materials,” China Daily, a state-run news outlet, reported Dec. 1. The exemptions will apply to products “consumed in the importing company's own production process, for import-process-export production activities or for import-service-export work in the process of trade in services by enterprises registered as independent legal entities” in the Hainan Free Trade Port, the report said.
China revised certain procedures related to electronic submissions of freight manifests for road transport vehicles (see 2010090026), it said Nov. 27, according to an unofficial translation. The announcement updates an earlier notice, and contains more information on the changes to manifest submissions, which took effect Dec. 1.
China will allow imports of Mexican sorghum, the country’s General Administration of Customs said in a Nov. 30 notice, according to an unofficial translation. The notice includes inspection and quarantine requirements for the imports.
China criticized the U.S. decision this week to sanction the China National Electronics Import & Export Corp. (see 2011300035), saying it opposes U.S. unilateral sanctions and interference in Venezuela. The U.S. sanctioned the Chinese company for exporting advanced technologies and technical expertise to Venezuela. “The U.S. practice is nothing but another pretext to suppress Venezuela and relevant Chinese companies,” a ministry spokesperson said Dec. 1 during a regular press conference. “China will take necessary measures to uphold the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.”
China’s Commerce Ministry last week imposed steep import taxes on Australian wine, saying the wine is being unfairly dumped and effectively cutting off those imports. The temporary duties, which took effect Nov. 28, range about 107.1% to 212.1%, China’s Commerce Ministry said, according to an unofficial translation. Those rates will make Australian wine unsellable in China, Australia’s trade minister said, The Associated Press reported Nov. 27.
Singapore Customs arrested four men involved in a scheme to illegally import cigarettes, the agency said in a Nov. 25 notice. Singapore alleged one of the men used his freight forwarding company to illegally import the cigarettes and falsely labeled them as stationery. The men stored the cigarettes on “company premises” and smuggled them out using their cars before being discovered by Singapore authorities. Customs officers seized about 1,200 cartons and 11 packets of cigarettes, and said the scheme evaded more than $160,000 (in Singapore dollars) in taxes on the imports. Charges have been filed, and investigation continues.
Although China’s recently announced plan for its Hainan free trade port could turn the island into a global trading hub, Chinese importers of U.S. agricultural goods have not yet embraced the strategy, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service said. China’s plan, released in June (see 2006030007), includes measures to reach zero and reduced tariffs for a range of imports by 2025, FAS said in a report released Nov. 20. But Chinese importers “appear reluctant to move forward until the food processing industry matures, infrastructure is built, cold chain capacity increases, and logistical connections are in place,” FAS said. Other importers want to wait to see how the plan’s tariff policies are implemented in practice “before pursuing potential business opportunities,” the report said.
China's President Xi Jinping on Nov. 25 congratulated President-elect Joe Biden on his election, the Chinese Embassy in Washington reported. Promoting “healthy and stable development” of China-U.S. relations “serves the fundamental interests of the people in both countries” and “meets the common expectation of the international community,” Xi's message to Biden said, the embassy said. “Xi said he hopes that the two sides will uphold the spirit of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation.” The Biden transition team didn’t comment.
Japan revised its foreign exchange and export control ordinance regarding review of certain “cargo and technology,” a Nov. 24 news release said, according to an unofficial translation. The changes affect technology related to the “design of equipment attached to numerical control devices,” liquids that “can be used as refrigerants” and “electric braking shutters.” Japan said it will begin enforcing the changes Jan. 27, 2021.
India recently proposed an amendment to its standards and requirements for regulations covering “specialty products” covered under its Food Safety and Standards Regulations of 2016, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service said Nov. 23. The changes, proposed Nov. 6, would affect regulations concerning health supplements, nutraceuticals, foods for special dietary use or special medical purposes, functional foods and novel foods, the USDA said. World Trade Organization members have 60 days from the notification date to comment on the proposal.