Japan announced the launch of a government-sponsored export control program for small and medium-sized companies, which includes “briefing sessions” and guidance from export control experts on complying with regulations surrounding sensitive technologies. The program, a collaboration of the country’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and the chambers of commerce in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, will create a “security trade control system … to prevent the outflow of sensitive technologies” by smaller companies, the ministry said Sept. 15, according to an unofficial translation. It will feature a free “specialized consultation desk” for export control issues, Japan said, and company visits by export control experts to help with in-house compliance programs. It said the resources will be available to companies operating in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, but the program may expand to other regions.
China’s General Administration of Customs will allow imports of French “breeding eggs,” a Sept. 14 notice said, according to an unofficial translation. The notice contains quarantine and sanitation requirements for the egg imports. The two countries have an arrangement and protocol in place, and the guidelines will ensure proper enforcement. The notice says “breeding eggs” are defined as “poultry and fertilized poultry eggs used for breeding and breeding young poultry, including chickens, ducks, geese and other breeding poultry birds.”
China will continue to exempt 16 U.S. items from retaliatory tariffs for another year, Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency, reported Sept. 15. The exemptions, first announced in September 2019 (see 1909110051) and scheduled to end Sept. 16, 2020, will now end Sept. 16, 2021, the report said.
China’s General Administration of Customs announced new procedures aimed at simplifying and streamlining its electronic data declaration requirements for air and water transport, it said Sept. 15, according to an unofficial translation. The notice includes information on when declarations are not required, declarations for “empty containers [dispatched] … in domestic coastal ports,” procedures related to electronic customs clearances, and customs declaration requirements for ships on “short-distance scheduled passenger routes.” The new procedures take effect Dec. 1.
Indonesia recently announced stricter import controls on a range of consumer products, including sports footwear, bicycles and air-conditioning equipment, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council said Sept. 10. The change requires importers of those goods to first obtain a permit from Indonesia, and bicycles may be imported only by companies with an “official business registration number,” HKTDC said. In addition, the goods can be imported through only certain sea and air entry ports. The increased restrictions were in response to a 70% rise in those imports during May and June.
India recently announced export restrictions on certain onion products, the country’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a Sept. 14 notice. The change restricts exports of all onion varieties, including “Bangalore Rose onions and Krishnapuram onions,” but excludes onions “cut, sliced or broken in powder form.”
China suspended imports of horses and equine products from Malaysia due to an outbreak of African horse disease in Terengganu, Malaysia, it said Sept. 11, according to an unofficial translation. China said it will return or destroy all imported equine products from Malaysia and “strengthen the elimination” of insects on ships and vehicles from Malaysia that may be carrying the disease.
China suspended imports of pigs, wild boars and other pork products from Germany after an outbreak of African swine fever among wild boar in Brandenburg, Germany, China’s customs authority said in a Sept. 11 notice, according to an unofficial translation. China said it will return or destroy all illegally imported German pork products, and violators will face customs penalties, according to an unofficial translation of the notice.
China launched a countervailing duty investigation into imports of certain monoalkyl ethers of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol originating in the U.S., the Ministry of Commerce said Sept. 14, according to an unofficial translation. China said it expects to complete the investigation by Sept. 14, 2021.
China will suspend imports from companies for one week if their “cold chain” food products or packaging test positive for COVID-19 a first or second time, the country’s customs authorities said Sept. 11, according to an unofficial translation. If the goods test positive for a third time, China said it will suspend the imports for four weeks. China’s General Administration of Customs said the move is aimed at protecting the “health and safety of consumers” and will better prevent imports of novel coronavirus-contaminated products from “overseas manufacturers.” The policy took effect Sept. 11.