China recently issued a draft consultation paper for new value-added tax legislation that aims to “elevate” the treatment of VAT rules to a legislative format and implement internationally recognized VAT guidelines, KPMG said in a Dec. 2 post. The “consultation process” for the VAT legislation is open until Dec. 26, and will eventually be considered and likely approved by China’s National People’s Congress in early 2020, the post said.

China and El Salvador signed a memorandum of understanding to create a “working group on trade” to ease trade restrictions between the two nations, China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a Dec. 3 press release, according to an unofficial translation. The memorandum aims to “further enhance the quality and level of bilateral trade” and strengthen “economic investment,” China said.

Australia’s Department of Defense’s export controls division will be closed noon on Dec. 20 until Jan. 2, 2020, the agency said in a Dec. 2 notice. Applications will not be processed during that time. Applications received after Dec. 2 may not be completed before the agency closes and will continue to be processed after Jan. 2, the notice said. The agency urges applicants to contact the Defense Export Controls division “should you urgently require a permit” after Dec. 2.

An amended free trade agreement between China and Pakistan took effect Dec. 1, rewriting rules on market access, tariff reduction schedules and more in an effort to increase trade, China’s Ministry of Commerce said Dec. 1, according to an unofficial translation. China hopes the new deal deepens “bilateral economic and trade cooperation” through measures aimed at revamping provisions such as trade remedies and customs cooperation. The deal will “gradually increase” the number of goods that face no tariffs from 35 percent to 75 percent, China said, and both nations will “implement a 20% reduction in taxes on other products that account for 5% of their respective tax items.” China said the changes will be implemented “as soon as possible” after “necessary domestic procedures” are finished.

China’s Ministry of Commerce recently published a list of antidumping measures that will expire in 2020, according to a Dec. 2 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. Antidumping duties on certain polyamide chips from the U.S., Italy, France and Taiwan will expire Oct. 13; duties on adipic acid from South Korea, the European Union and U.S. will expire Nov. 2; and duties on methyl methacrylate from Singapore, Thailand and Japan will expire Dec. 1. Companies may ask China to review the expiration to potentially continue the antidumping duties by submitting an application at least 60 days before they expire, the report said. Companies who ask for the duties to continue must “believe” the expiration of the duties will lead to “injury to the domestic industry.”

Singapore Customs appointed Nanyang Polytechnic and Republic Polytechnic to conduct customs guidance courses for the business community, Singapore said in a Nov. 28 notice. The courses, taught by two Singapore higher-learning technology schools, will help “promote compliance” of the agency’s “regulatory requirements for the import, export, transhipment and transit of goods,” the notice said. The courses will begin in January and will allow Singapore Customs “to better cater to the industry’s demand for more frequent courses and to better respond to the industry’s learning needs.” The courses previously conducted by the Singapore Customs Academy will end in January, the agency said. The notice contains instructions on how to register for the courses and a set of frequently asked questions.

Hong Kong has suspended imports of U.S. romaine lettuce in any form from Salinas, California, effective Nov. 23, according to a Nov. 25 U.S Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report. The ban arose from a “possible contamination” of romaine lettuce from California with E.coli, USDA said. Hong Kong previously banned romaine imports from Arizona and California, and lifted a ban on lettuce from Arizona in March stemming from an E. coli outbreak in 2018 (see 1903060032).

China signed a customs agreement with Seychelles and one with Ethiopia and discussed increasing trade with South Africa during a recent trip to the continent, China’s General Administration of Customs said in a Nov. 21 press release, according to an unofficial translation. China’s agreement with Seychelles includes a “protocol on inspection and quarantine” for marine products exported to China, which “greatly expands the export” of those products to China, the agency said. The two countries also agreed to measures related to anti-smuggling enforcement and measures to promote “trade relations.” China also met with South Africa’s trade minister and agriculture minister, where the two sides discussed plans to increase Chinese citrus and “cooked poultry meat” to South Africa and increase South African exports of beef, pears, avocados and dairy products.

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is launching an anti-counterfeiting campaign to combat an increased number of counterfeit imports, particularly through goods bought online, the agency said in a Nov. 25 press release. The agency is encouraging both buyers and sellers to research their products before importing or exporting. The campaign is a collaboration with Japan’s Intellectual Property Policy Headquarters and its Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, customs agency and others, including the National Police Agency. “Always do research and use your Good Judgment!!” kicks off Dec. 2.

Vietnam plans to import more pork to meet domestic demand due to African swine fever affecting local supply, according to a Nov. 27 report from Customs News, the mouthpiece for Vietnam Customs. The country is short about 200,000 tons of pork, the report said, and it expects the imports to be expensive. A Vietnam official said due to “high” pork prices around the world, it won’t “necessarily be cheap,” according to the report. The official also said the country has no import quotas for pork.