China has revised and published its “import and export tariff commodities and item notes,” which will affect the country’s commodity classifications, China’s General Administration of Customs said in a Nov. 16 notice, according to an unofficial translation. The move follows similar changes by the World Customs Organization to its “Harmonized System Notes,” China said. The revisions become effective Dec. 1.

China criticized President Donald Trump’s executive order that will ban Americans from investing in Chinese military-owned firms (see 2011130026), saying it unfairly suppresses Chinese companies, China’s Commerce Ministry said Nov. 16, according to an unofficial translation of a press release that cites a news conference transcript. China also said the U.S. list of companies with ties to the Chinese military is neither based on “nor consistent with legal principles.”

China will allow imports of Tanzanian soybeans, China’s General Administration of Customs announced Nov. 11, according to an unofficial translation. The announcement outlines inspection and quarantine requirements for the imports.

China suspended timber imports from the Australian state of Victoria after finding “pests” in the products, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Nov. 12. The move, which took effect Nov. 11, followed an Oct. 31 decision to ban timber imports from Australia’s Queensland state, also due to pests, the spokesperson said. The spokesperson called the decisions “normal bio-security precautions, which are science-based and reasonable and in line with relevant Chinese laws and regulations and international practices.”

The U.S. threatened sanctions against China and several other countries voiced concern after Beijing removed four pro-democracy legislators from Hong Kong’s parliament this week. U.S. National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien Nov. 11 said the forced removals provided more evidence that Beijing is seeking to quash dissent in Hong Kong. He said the U.S. will continue to punish China under the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act and the Hong Kong Autonomy Act (see 2008110046 and 2006040038). The U.S. will look to “identify and sanction those responsible for extinguishing Hong Kong’s freedom,” O’Brien said.

Singapore Customs’ TradeNet will undergo system maintenance Nov. 22 from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Nov. 29 from 4 a.m. to noon local time, a Nov. 10 notice said. The agency 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.

Hong Kong’s Trade and Industry Department reminded entities involved in the trade of certain chemicals of upcoming deadlines to apply for licenses and report certain activities. Entities and facilities that trade in chemicals controlled by the Chemical Weapons Convention must submit “permit applications” for 2021 by Nov. 30 and report by Dec. 21 “whether they were engaged in the specified activities,” the agency said in a Nov. 6 notice. Information on the permit and reporting requirements for scheduled chemicals is included in the notice.

China will impose antidumping duties on imports of certain m-cresol from the U.S., Japan and the European Union, China’s Commerce Ministry said in a Nov. 6 notice, according to an unofficial translation. The duties, ranging from 27.9% to 131.7%, will apply to imports starting Nov. 6.

Thailand will ban two pesticide residues on imported food products beginning in 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service said in a Nov. 3 report. The move will ban imports of food containing paraquat and chlorpyrifos residues by reducing maximum residue limits to zero, beginning June 1, 2021, FAS said. The ban will likely impact “several” Thai industries that rely on imports of food inputs that may contain residues of those pesticides, the report said, including wheat flour milling, soybean oil processing, and international trading of fruit and vegetable products. The country is almost entirely reliant on imports for its supply of wheat grain, soybeans and soybean meal. FAS said this could lead to disruptions in the supply chains for the industries' customers, including bakery manufacturers, the hotel and hospitality industries, and food processors.

Bangladesh is investigating whether its commercial banks are breaching customs import regulations, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council said Oct. 30. The probe stemmed from a Bangladesh customs authority allegation that banks are providing letters of credit to importers that “exceed the annual import cap specified in their import registration certificates.” Those practices “cause problems when it comes to releasing imported items” and leads to a “shortfall in terms of due fees and underpaid” value-added taxes, the HKTDC said.