Huawei plans to stop production of its flagship Kirin chipsets next month due to pressure from U.S. export restrictions and license requirements, Reuters reported Aug. 8, citing financial magazine Caixin. Reuters quoted by way of Caixin coverage of an industry event, Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei’s customer business unit, who said U.S. restrictions have made it “impossible” to keep developing the chipsets, which are used in mobile phones. “From Sept. 15 onward, our flagship Kirin processors cannot be produced,” Yu said while speaking at the recent event in Shenzen, China. “Our [artificial intelligence]-powered chips also cannot be processed. This is a huge loss for us.” Huawei did not comment.
China issued and implemented revised protocols for customs procedures related to dairy trade with Russia, an Aug. 10 Chinese customs notice said, according to an unofficial translation. The protocols include revised inspection and quarantine requirements.
Indonesian palm oil exports and soybean imports are expected to decline due to weakening demand from soy-food producers and less demand in major export markets, including China and India, a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report released Aug. 5 said. Demand for palm oil imports is expected to particularly decrease in China as the country increases soybean imports for crushing, the report said. Less demand for soybean imports in Indonesia will likely affect the U.S., which is the largest supplier of soybeans to that country. “U.S. soybean shipments to Indonesia have declined by 14 percent to 1.4 million tons from October 2019 to May 2020, compared to same period last year,” the report said. Canada, however, has steadily increased soybean shipments to Indonesia in recent years, “more than doubling to 155,000 tons in 2019/20. The recent spike in shipments to Indonesia occur as Canada’s soybean exports to China, previously its largest market, have declined sharply.”
India lifted its export controls on ventilators about four months after imposing the restrictions (see 2003240045), India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade said Aug. 4. Export restrictions no longer apply to “all ventilators,” India said, including “any artificial respiratory apparatus … or other breathing appliance.” The measure was first introduced to maintain India’s domestic supply of ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic.
China announced a ban on poultry from Vidin Province, Bulgaria, due to an outbreak of Newcastle disease in the city, a July 31 notice said, according to an unofficial translation. Chinese customs authorities will seize and destroy all illegally imported poultry products from the region, the notice said.
China has met only 5% of its purchase commitments of U.S. energy products through the first half of 2020, falling significantly short of the $25.3 billion in commitments outlined in the phase one trade deal, Reuters reported Aug. 4. China has imported about $1.29 billion worth of U.S. energy products, including crude oil, liquefied natural gas and metallurgical coal, the report said. Trade experts have said China is unlikely to meet the deal’s commitments, partly due to worsening U.S.-China relations and the COVID-19 pandemic (see 2006100053). China said in July it still plans to fulfill the commitments despite a series of recent U.S. sanctions and export restrictions (see 2007160024).
China has begun an antidumping investigation on imports of U.S. polyphenylene ether, an Aug. 3 notice said, according to an unofficial translation. China said it expects to complete the investigation before Aug. 3, 2021.
Vietnam recently imposed antidumping duties on “biaxially oriented polypropylene film products” originating in China, Malaysia and Thailand, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council said July 27. The film, typically used in “packaging materials,” will be subject to a duty rate of 9.05% to 23.71% for five years. The products are classified under two Harmonized System subheadings -- 3920.20.10 and 3920.20.91. The decision came after Vietnam determined that the “sales volume, profit margins, market share and production capacity” of its domestic film producers had “declined significantly over recent years” due to cheaper imports from the three countries. Vietnam is, however, offering duty exemptions for imports of the film because some of its producers “lack the capacity” to manufacture it.
India revised its export controls for a range of personal protective equipment, the country’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a July 28 notice. It set new monthly export quotas and restrictions for medical goggles, “ply surgical masks” and certain gloves but removed export controls from certain medical coveralls, non-medical masks and face shields.
China’s Ministry of Commerce criticized a U.S. decision on July 22 to add 11 Chinese entities to its Entity List (see 2007200026), calling it another case of “abused export controls,” a July 28 notice said, according to an unofficial translation. The sanctions are related to human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region. China said the move will cause “serious damage” to trade. “This is not good for China, not good for the United States, and not good for the whole world,” the ministry said. “China urges the U.S. to immediately stop its wrongdoing and will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.”