Vietnam Customs seized more than 60,000 tablets of imported COVID-19 medication that were hidden inside food product packages and disguised as "gifts and donations" sent via Vietnam's express delivery service, the state-run CustomsNews said. The Northern Anti-Smuggling and Control Team, coordinating with Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department, Express Cargo Customs Branch and Economic Police Department, inspected 15 packages of goods with "suspicious signs' in Soc Son District, Hanoi on Sept. 14. While declared as food, the packages actually contained 60,000 tables of COVID-19 medications such as Favipiravir, Baricitinib and Molnupiravir, CustomsNews said.

There may be growing opportunities for U.S. organic food exporters in the United Arab Emirates, but they will likely face increasing competition from “recognized brands,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service said in a Sept. 14 report. USDA said it’s seeing growing demand by UAE consumers for “fresh food, natural, organic, healthy, and free-from products,” especially for beef and chicken, as consumers are looking “for healthier and natural products over processed foods.” But UAE consumers still prefer brand name foods. “U.S. potential suppliers need to think long term, be persistent, and focus on marketing activities both in the digital and traditional space to acquire brand recognition and shelf position,” USDA said. The U.S. ranked third behind the European Union and India in exports of “consumer oriented products” to the UAE in 2020.

The last date to submit applications under the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS), Service Exports from India Scheme, the Rebate of State and Central Taxes and Levies scheme and Rebate of State Levies scheme and 2% additional ad hoc incentive is Dec. 31, India's Director General of Foreign Trade said. The DGFT set the deadline for scrip-based claims and clarified the time periods for which applications can be made.

China officially submitted an application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Ministry of Commerce said in a Sept. 16 post, according to an unofficial translation. The Minister of Commerce, Wang Wentao, sent the application letter to New Zealand's Minister of Trade and Export Growth, Damien O'Connor. A teleconference was held between the two ministers on the work related to China's accession to the influential trade bloc, the ministry said.

Taiwan’s customs agency recently issued guidance on making a transfer pricing adjustment on imported goods, KPMG said Sept. 13. The guidance summarizes frequently asked questions on how to comply with the customs requirements, which “offers an opportunity” for multinational companies to make a post-importation adjustment on the price of imported goods.

The Singapore Customs TradeNet will undergo system maintenance Sept. 26 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time, it said Sept. 15. Singapore Customs advised users to avoid submitting applications during this time. This is in addition to the usual 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. Sunday maintenance.

Cambodia recently created a new online system for traders to submit a “master list” of construction and machinery goods to be imported for certain “qualified investment projects,” KPMG said Sept. 15. Investors working on eligible projects can submit the master list applications, which applies to imports of construction material, machinery and production equipment, spare parts and raw materials, KPMG said. The system can also be used to apply for other government approvals, permits and licenses.

Shanghai is resuming some of its container port operations since Typhoon Chanthu is weakening and heading slowly back out to sea, the port operator said in a statement, Bloomberg reported. The Shanghai International Port Group stated its intentions to gradually restart some container activities beginning at 7 p.m. local time on Sept. 14. The Shanghai Airport Group Co. also added that flights from the Hongqiao airport were to resume at 10 a.m. Sept. 14, while flights at Shanhair Pudong International Airport were to restart at 2 p.m. However, the Zhoushan port and certain parts of the Ningbo port in Zhejiang were still shuttered as of the afternoon of Sept. 14, Bloomberg said. But the Ningbo Meidong Container Terminal's operating company said that some port operations were to pick up after 5 p.m. The typhoon never made direct landfall in Shanghai but affected eastern and southern China, Taiwan and the Philippines and continues to linger off the coast of Shanghai.

India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade in a Sept. 14 notice laid out the procedures for importers to get a refund for the fees associated with applying for restricted import authorizations for certain products. In May, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry changed the import policy for tur/pigeon peas, moong beans and urad from “restricted” to “free,” allowing them to be freely imported. Applicants who had applied to import these goods under the restricted policy from 2021 to 2022 can apply for a refund of the application fees related to this process, Deputy Director General of Foreign Trade Moin Afaque said.

Shanghai International Port Group said certain port operations in Shanghai were halted due to Typhoon Chanthu's imminent landfall in the Chinese coastal city, Bloomberg reported Sept. 12. Shanghai's port, the world's biggest, suspended some container-related operations, and most flights in and out of the city have been canceled, the report said. The state-run Xinhuanet also reported that the typhoon moved to waters off southeastern Shanghai on the afternoon of Sept. 13. Chanthu is expected to linger around waters at the mouth of the Yangtze River on Sept. 14-15 before weakening and moving northeasterward on Sept. 15, the report said. Sept. 13-14 will bring gale-force winds and rainstorms to regions including the key cities of Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jinagsu. In addition, Ningbo Meidong Container Terminal Co. in Zhejiang province suspended certain container operations Sept. 10, Bloomberg said.