China announced suspensions of meat imports from facilities in the United Kingdom and Brazil, the country’s General Administration of Customs said this week, according to an unofficial translation. The country also suspended meat imports from plants in Canada and Germany, a June 29 Bloomberg report said, adding to previous import suspensions from four Australian exporters (see 2005130013) and a U.S.-based Tyson Foods plant (see 2006220023). The restrictions come amid growing Chinese fears of virus-contaminated agricultural imports (see 2006230012 and 2006290009).

China will retaliate for the U.S. decision to ban defense exports and suspend license exceptions for shipments to Hong Kong (see 2006290063), a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said during a June 30 news conference. The spokesperson said the U.S. restrictions will “never succeed,” adding that China will “take necessary retaliatory measures to resolutely safeguard its national interests.” He did not say how China will retaliate.

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).