The U.S. has asked China to amend its increased export control inspections that are causing delays of medical supply shipments (see 2004160035, 2004150034 and 2004130014), according to a State Department spokesperson. “We appreciate the efforts to ensure quality control. But we do not want this to serve as an obstacle for the timely export of important supplies,” the spokesperson said in an April 17 statement. The spokesperson added that the U.S. has “raised these concerns” with China and requested that it “revise its new requirements to allow the expeditious export of vital [personal protective equipment] to the United States.” The U.S. is working “closely” with U.S. companies exporting medical supplies from China to help them “understand the new regulations and raise concerns about held-up shipments,” the spokesperson said. The request was first reported by Reuters.

China has received “positive” feedback after increasing inspections of certain medical exports, a Commerce Ministry official said, despite reports of lengthy customs delays due to the measures. The measures, announced earlier this month, increased inspections of 11 medical goods after China received international criticism about the quality of the goods. “Since the implementation of the relevant measures, the effect has been obvious and the international community has made positive comments,” a ministry official said during an April 16 press conference, according to an unofficial translation of a transcript. “I would like to emphasize again that China does not and will not restrict the export of anti-epidemic materials.”

Singapore Customs reduced customs duties for four items to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an April 15 notice. The changes apply to certain “medicated samsu” and “other samsu,” Singapore said. The changes will eliminate customs duties for those items.

Vietnam will resume exporting rice less than a month after announcing a temporary ban on the shipments (see 2003270010), according to an April 14 report from CustomsNews, the mouthpiece for Vietnam Customs. The country will establish an export quota of 400,000 tons of rice for April, the report said. Once the quota is reached, the country’s customs authority will “automatically stop receiving registration of customs declarations” for rice exports. The announcement came as the country’s Ministry of Industry and Trade considered proposing strict limits on monthly rice exports during the COVID-19 pandemic (see 2004020015).

India amended the conditions for imports of refined palm oil, the country’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in an April 13 notice. Import licenses will be valid for six months instead of the “usual” 18 months, India said, and its customs authority will “diligently enforce” Rules of Origin criteria for imports of the oil originating from Nepal and Bangladesh. The imports must also be accompanied by the “pre-purchase agreement.”

Vietnam's textile, footwear and wood sectors are seeing a significant decline in exports as key markets cancel orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an April 12 report from CustomsNews, the mouthpiece for Vietnam Customs. “Major markets,” such as the European Union and the U.S., have canceled or suspended a range of orders, hitting Vietnamese textile and garment companies particularly hard, the report said. If the trend continues, the garment industry is expected to lose 3 trillion Vietnamese dong per month, the report said. In addition, Vietnamese timber companies have not signed new orders for the upcoming season because “customers are not coming to the factory to approve samples.”

China’s Commerce Ministry and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China signed a “memorandum of cooperation” in an effort to stabilize foreign trade and investment, the Commerce Ministry said April 13, according to an unofficial translation of a news release. The ministry said it will share more information about “foreign-invested” and “foreign funded enterprises” with the bank, which will allow the bank to increase “credit support” and offer more services to foreign companies during the COVID-19 pandemic, China said. These services include “cross-border supply chain finance, improved “service quality” and starting “green channels.”

China’s new export inspections for quality control on certain medical equipment (see 2004100043) caused “immediate” delays of shipments as traders and manufacturers tried to understand how best to comply, according to an April 11 report in The New York Times. Producers, freight agents and other stakeholders said the delays have lasted anywhere from a few hours to a few days, the report said.

China will increase supervision and inspections of exports of certain medical equipment, China’s General Administration of Customs said April 10, according to an unofficial translation of an announcement. The increased inspections will apply to 11 items, China said: medical masks, medical protective clothing, ventilators, infrared thermometer, medical surgical caps, medical goggles, medical gloves, medical shoe covers, patient monitor, medical disinfectant towels and medical disinfectants. The restrictions could slow shipments of medical supplies from China to countries in need of medical goods, according to an April 10 report in The Wall Street Journal.

China plans to upgrade its online declaration system to allow companies to more easily apply for tariff exemptions for imported U.S. goods (see 2003180018), according to an April 7 report from Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency. The online system will allow companies to more conveniently submit their “procurement plans” and allow authorities to better process exemption applications, Xinhua said. The system will especially help applications “involving a procurement amount of less than 3,000 U.S. dollars or when the time of import approached,” the report said. The system will also include a process to “accelerate re-editing for approved” procurement plans, transactions records and other information, Xinhua said.