China’s Foreign Ministry criticized the Senate’s passage of a bill that would sanction Chinese officials, companies and foreign banks for interfering in Hong Kong’s autonomy (see 2006250043), threatening to impose countermeasures. China “will react firmly” if the bill is signed into law, a ministry spokesperson said during a June 29 news conference, “and the U.S. shall bear all the consequences.” The spokesperson also said the sanctions will not stop any Chinese actions in Hong Kong. “Their attempts are doomed to fail,” the spokesperson said. “This act will be nothing more than a piece of paper.”

China will eliminate tariffs on 97% of taxable imports from Bangladesh, a June 26 Hong Kong Trade Development Council report said. The measure, to take effect July 1, will eliminate tariffs on more than 8,000 items, the report said, and is part of China’s commitment “to the least developed countries with whom it has established diplomatic ties.”

India amended its Foreign Trade Policy to change the time frame for which certain exporters benefit from duty-free treatment, the country’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a June 26 notice. The change extends for an additional three months the current three months from the date of export for certain duty-free exports and reimports of cut and polished diamonds, in cases in which the “re-import period is expiring” between Feb. 1 and July 31, 2020, the notice said. India made the change to help mitigate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the notice said.

China extended until Dec. 31 an exemption on port construction fees for incoming and outgoing cargo, according to an unofficial translation of a June 4 Ministry of Finance notice. The measure comes as part of Beijing’s effort to help companies resume business and bolster exports during the COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters said in a June 24 report. The exemption was to expire June 30.

Singapore authorities charged two shipping managers after they worked together allegedly to ship sugar illegally to North Korea, the Singapore Police Force said in a June 19 notice. The two managers, along with the companies Wee Tiong Pte. Ltd. and Morgan Marcos Pte Ltd., allegedly falsified shipping documents and invoices to hide the companies’ transactions with North Korean entities. Both managers face a maximum 10-year prison sentence or a fine, or both.

Japan will impose higher duties on imports of Chinese “tris(chloropropyl)phosphate” after finding that the imports were “unfairly sold” and caused “actual damage to the Japanese industry,” the country said in a June 23 notice, according to an unofficial translation. The notice says TCPP is a “liquid mainly used as a flame retardant for hard urethane insulation.” The higher tariffs will not be applied to imports from Hong Kong and Macau, Japan said.

India restricted exports of certain personal protective equipment, including several types of masks, the country’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a June 22 notice. The measure restricts exports of “medical coveralls of all classes/categories,” medical goggles, “all masks” except for “non-medical/non-surgical masks,” “nitrile/NBR gloves” and face shields. The notice contains Harmonized System codes for each of the newly restricted items. The export policy on the items is listed as “Prohibited.”

China is asking soybean shippers to provide a document certifying their shipments are not contaminated by the novel coronavirus, which could slow soybean exports to China, a June 22 Bloomberg report said. China has asked at least U.S. and Brazilian exporters to include the documents with their shipments, the report said. Earlier this week, China suspended poultry imports from a U.S. Tyson Foods plant after some employees tested positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (see 2006220023).

Australia’s Department of Defense updated its application form for the export of controlled goods and technology, a June 18 notice said. Effective June 22, Australia accepts only the new version of the form.

China and Cambodia expect to ratify before the end of the year a free trade agreement featuring increased market access for goods and services, improved investment protocols and increased regulatory alignment, according to a June 18 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. Cambodia hopes the deal delivers a boost to its exports, the HKTDC said, which will soon lose their duty-free access in the European Union (see 2003030020).