India announced new import conditions on certain steel products, according to a Sept. 28 notice from the country’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade. The change requires steel traders to register under the country’s Steel Import Monitoring System before importing steel products that are classified under all codes of chapters 72, 73 and 86 of the Harmonized System of 2017, the notice said.

China announced antidumping duties on imports of Japanese and U.S. optical fiber preforms, China’s customs authority said in a Sept. 24 notice, according to an unofficial translation. The notice includes declaration requirements for the imports. The duties took effect Sept. 26.

China began an antidumping investigation into imports of U.S. polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products, China's Ministry of Commerce said in a Sept. 25 notice, according to an unofficial translation. China said it expects to complete the investigation before Sept. 25, 2021, but may extend the review another six months if there are “special circumstances.”

Vietnam’s customs authority recently issued guidance on an exemption for import duties and value-added taxes on items intended for “factory constructions,” KPMG said in a Sept. 22 post. An “export and processing” company that imports certain factory construction goods but then subleases a portion of the factory to another business is not eligible for duty exemptions on the imports for use in the factory construction, KPMG said. In addition, if the export and processing company continues to use the factory for its own business at the end of the sublease period, it cannot apply for import duty or VAT refunds.

India is under pressure to lift its ban on certain onion exports (see 2009150019) due to significant shipping backlogs at ports and borders, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service said in a report released Sept. 21. More than 400,000 metric tons of onions are stuck at India’s Jawaharlal Nehru Port, the USDA said, and more than 500 trucks of onions are at the Nepal and Bangladesh borders. USDA said officials in the state of Maharashtra, the largest onion-producing state in India and where Jawaharlal Nehru operates near Mumbai, plan to ask the national government to “immediately” lift the ban.

China is considering revising its standards for processed cheese and cheese products with new terms, definitions, physical and chemical indicators, and new microbial limits, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service said Sept. 18. China notified the World Trade Organization on Sept. 14 of this addendum to an earlier notification in June 2019, the USDA said, and is accepting comments until Nov. 13. China has not proposed an adoption date for the new standards.

The Australian Sanctions Office will launch Pax, its new sanctions portal, Oct. 1, the country said Sept. 23. Pax, announced earlier this year (see 2001070018), will be more “user-friendly” for industry and allow for better engagement with the Sanctions Office, the notice said. Australia will release details on how to access Pax, including “support materials,” on the day of the launch.

Hong Kong’s Trade and Industry Department issued an updated list Sept. 16 of officers authorized to sign delivery verification certificates and trade licenses for imports and exports of “strategic commodities.”

China will revise its inspection and supervision procedures for crude oil imports to increase efficiency, the country’s customs authority said in a Sept. 21 notice, according to an unofficial translation. The procedures will allow oil importers to begin offloading shipments before all customs procedures are finalized if they provide certain information and an oil sample from the load being delivered. But China said imports of crude oil benefiting from these procedures may be sold only after they have passed the full customs inspection and issued a certificate. The new procedures will take effect Oct. 1.

U.S. pecan exporters may see an expanding market in Taiwan due to a spike in demand for pecan imports, a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report issued Sept. 18 said. Taiwan pecan imports rose by 74% in 2019, and room for pecans to expand in the market, specifically in the snacking sector, is “strong,” USDA said. The agency said Taiwan is the second-largest Asian market for U.S. shelled pecan exports.