India amended several provisions in its Foreign Trade Policy, according to a March 31 notice from the country’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade. The changes include six-month extensions for certain duty-free import authorizations as well as “various other changes … extending the date of exemptions” for imports by one year, the notice said.

Huawei’s chairman said the U.S. may face retaliation from China if it follows through on plans to increase restrictions on foreign exports to the Chinese tech giant (see 2003260036), according to a March 31 report in The Wall Street Journal. Chairman Eric Xu, speaking during a March 31 press conference, said China may respond with restrictions on U.S. companies operating in China. “I think the Chinese government will not just stand by, watching Huawei be slaughtered,” Xu said, according to the report. “I believe the Chinese government may also take some countermeasures.” A Huawei spokesperson confirmed the comments.

India imposed new restrictions on exports of certain “animal by-products” to the European Union, India’s Department of Commerce said in a March 30 notice. The conditions, which apply to bone and bone products for human consumption and “gelatine,” require a certain “shipment clearance certificate” with the name and address of the exporter, address of the “registered plant,” the “nature of the export product,” the port of loading and more, the notice said. The conditions also require the exporter to provide a “health certificate” to the buyer with the harmonized system code, origin, destination, vessel name and more.

As China begins to rebound from the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak (see 2003170043), it is preparing for sustained negative impacts on its supply chains due to the pandemic’s spread across the rest of the world, officials said during a March 30 press conference held by the State Council Information Office. China said its imports and exports fell by nearly 10 percent in January and February compared with the same period last year, and expects that trend to continue due to the fact that its supply chains are “deeply integrated” in regions being hit hard by the pandemic, such as Europe and the U.S.

Indian agencies responsible for issuing certificates of origin under India’s free trade agreements are temporarily closed and unable to issue the certificates, due to a “lockdown” stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a March 28 notice. Certificates will be issued “retrospectively” after the agencies reopen, India said. In the interim, the country is urging its trading partners to “kindly allow the eligible imports under preferences on a retrospective basis subject to the subsequent production of the certificates of origin by the Indian exporters.” India said it will “stand ready to honour its preferential trade agreement imports” if it receives a similar request from trading partners.

Vietnam will “temporarily suspend rice exports” due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, according to a March 25 report from CustomsNews, the mouthpiece for Vietnam Customs. The virus has caused a spike in global demand for food reserves, including rice, which has dwindled Vietnam’s domestic rice supply as exports have increased, the report said. If rice exports continue at their current rate, Vietnam “may face a shortage of rice for domestic consumption,” the report said. Under the measure, Vietnam will not sign new rice export contracts until it stabilizes its domestic supply, according to a March 25 report in the Bangkok Post.

India is extending the deadlines for applications for the imported food product urad due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a March 23 notice. The deadline was set to expire April 3 but will now last through April 15, the notice said.

India blocked exports of hydroxychloroquine and “formulations made from hydroxychloroquine,” according to a March 25 notice from the country’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade. Researchers are studying the drug as a possible medication for treating COVID-19, according to a March 24 Reuters report. India also banned exports of ventilators and sanitizers (see 2003240045).

The South Korean food market has been “seriously hit” by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and some importers have reported a “large drop” in sales, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report released March 23. The USDA said the “strong” U.S. dollar is making imports in South Korea more expensive, and air and sea freight costs are “trending higher as supply chains face disruption.” Although importers are facing challenges, trade has not been “significantly disrupted,” the report said, partly due to South Korea’s swift response to the virus.

India announced bans on exports of ventilators and sanitizers, to maintain medical supplies locally amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a March 24 notice from the country’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade. The ban blocks exports of “all ventilators,” including “any artificial respiratory apparatus or oxygen therapy apparatus or any other breathing appliance/device,” the notice said. The notice provides Indian Trade Clarification Harmonized System codes for blocked goods that fall under the categories of ventilators and sanitizers. India previously announced export restrictions on certain pharmaceutical ingredients (see 2003160047) and has banned exports of certain surgical masks.