Singapore Customs released two sets of guidance documents for traders looking to claim preferential tariff benefits for imports and exports under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that will take effect on Jan. 1. The RCEP trade agreement was signed by Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states -- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Preferential treatment for Singapore-originating goods begins on different dates, depending on the destination country involved. The guidance from Singapore Customs details procedures for claiming preferential tariff treatment from RCEP countries and documentation procedures. The latter step involves submitting Proof of Origin documentation.
China updated its requirements for the inspection and quarantine of imported dairy products, the General Administration of Customs said in a Dec. 23 notice, according to an unofficial translation. The measures, to be implemented Jan. 1, include requiring imported dairy products to be accompanied by a health certificate issued by the exporting country's competent government program and mandating that imported raw milk, raw milk products, pasteurized milk and modified milk made through pasteurization technology go through quarantine approval procedures. Further, overseas production enterprises shall ensure that the dairy goods they export comply with China's national food safety standards, the notice said.
Cambodia recently issued guidance to clarify its safety inspection requirements for imported new vehicles, KPMG said in a December alert. All importers must apply for a safety certification for each new vehicle, it said, and factories, dealerships and distributors in the Cambodian market will be subject to government inspections. KPMG said the requirements are intended to improve the “technical standards of new vehicles imported into Cambodia with the intention of benefiting the public, customers and protecting the environment.”
The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act “maliciously denigrates the human rights situation in China’s Xinjiang in disregard of facts and truth,” a Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson said at a Dec. 24 regular press conference, according to an English translation. President Joe Biden signed the measure into law Dec. 23 (see 2112230018). U.S. allegations of forced labor and genocide in Xinjiang “are nothing but vicious lies concocted by anti-China forces,” the spokesperson said. The U.S. “is engaging in political manipulation and economic coercion, and seeking to undermine Xinjiang’s prosperity and stability and contain China’s development under the pretext of human rights,” he said. “China deplores and firmly rejects this” new U.S. law.
Australia will award an additional $80 million in funding to help its traders find new export markets, the country's trade minister said Dec. 23. The funding will be provided over the next four years to small and medium-sized businesses, which can use the export grants to “stand out in new international markets” and “expand in existing markets, amid fierce competition,” Trade Minister Dan Tehan said. Australia this year received more than 5,300 applications for export grants, the highest in the history of its Export Market Development Grants program.
China has sanctioned four members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, a federal government commission, in response to the U.S. designation of four Chinese officials, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The individuals are the commission's Chair Nadine Maenza, Vice Chair Nury Turkel and commissioners Anurima Bhargava and James Carr. The restrictions consist of a travel ban and an asset freeze. The U.S. imposed its sanctions due to China's human rights violations against the Uyghur Muslim minority in the Xinjiang region.
Taiwan’s government will soon require companies to seek approval before they sell their assets, plants or subsidiaries in China to Chinese counterparts or other local buyers, a move that could create more oversight over transfers of sensitive technologies, the Financial Times reported Dec. 21. The new regulation, which is expected to take effect by early January, is designed to protect Taiwan’s semiconductor technologies, the report said. But some tech industry executives fear the restrictions could be too broad and “hinder overall future technology advancement.”
The South Korea-Spain Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement will enter into force Dec. 24, the Korea Customs Service said, according to an unofficial translation. Under the agreement, the two countries will look to improve customs cooperation, the notice said. The agreement will aid with tariff calculations and the accuracy of duties increases, preventing duty-related crimes and providing information on the illegal trade of sensitive goods.
China closed the Foshan and Zhaoqing railway ports in Guangdong, the General Administration of Customs said in a Dec. 22 notice, according to an unofficial translation. No explanation was given for the closure of the ports, a move that was approved by the State Council on Dec. 15.
A new railway connecting Laos and China officially opened Dec. 3, which is expected to significantly cut freight transportation costs and boost trade, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Dec. 14. The railway connection between Laos’ capital Vientiane and the Chinese border crossing at Boten will operate 14 freight services daily and travel time will be significantly reduced, HKTDC said. It’s also expected to cut cargo transportation costs by about 30% to 50% and improve trade volume between the countries by about 3.7 million metric tons by 2030.