Singapore Customs is urging traders to update their primary contact, secondary contact and “Trade Notification Contact” details in their “Customs Account,” the agency said in a Nov. 25 notice. In addition, Singapore will “terminate” certain inactive accounts after March 1, 2020, for “security reasons,” the agency said. If a company registered with Singapore Customs “does not have any import, export or tran[s]shipment activities” within the last five years and “does not have any existing registration(s) with Customs,” such as a “Declaring Agent (DA), Claimant, Cargo Agent Import Authorisation (CAIA), manifest submission, licensed premises” or manufacturer registration, the company’s account will be terminated, Singapore said.
Singapore Customs’ TradeNet will undergo system maintenance from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 8, Singapore said in a Nov. 21 notice. The agency is advising users to avoid submitting applications during this time. This schedule includes extended down time beyond the normal system maintenance that ordinarily ends at 8 a.m. on Sundays.
China and Cambodia will begin trade negotiations on Dec. 3 in Beijing, according to a Nov. 22 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The deal is expected to “extend beyond the benefits” in the countries’ existing trade agreement and to feature new preferential benefits associated with agricultural exports, the report said. The deal is also expected to provide an extra “boost” to companies looking to relocate production lines to Cambodia amid the U.S.-China trade war, HKTDC said.
China and Israel made “positive progress” during its seventh round of trade negotiations this week, China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a Nov. 21 press release, according to an unofficial translation. The two sides discussed issues surrounding rules of origin, customs procedures, trade facilitation, phytosanitary measures, intellectual property rights and more.
China is eliminating antidumping duties on products from India, Japan and Taiwan, China’s Ministry of Commerce said Nov. 20. China said it is eliminating antidumping duties on “methyl ethyl ketone” imported from Japan and Taiwan and “pyridine” imported from India and Japan. The changes will take effect Nov. 21.
Vietnam is developing a list of imports to be banned from bonded warehouses, Vietnam Customs said in a Nov. 19 report from Customs News, the agency’s mouthpiece. The country previously considered banning certain imports of foreign cigarettes and liquor from entering bonded warehouses due to smuggling issues (see 1911050025). The country is now examining “other items which have a high risk of taking advantage” of Vietnam’s bonded warehouse system, the report said.
The lower house of the Japan's National Diet approved the country’s trade deal with the U.S., sending the deal to the upper house for approval, according to a Nov. 19 report from The Japan Times. Japan hopes to ratify the deal before the current Diet session ends Dec. 9, the report said. The deal, signed in October (see 1910070074), is expected to take effect Jan. 1.
Japan is revising its export controls for certain technologies and machine parts, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Nov. 19. The controls will impact certain “detonation” engines, “control devices of gear machine tools,” “optical sensors” and “microwave equipment,” Japan said, according to an unofficial translation.
India is hosting a Regional Contact Points meeting for the World Customs Organization’s Asia Pacific region this week to discuss trade issues, India’s Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs said Nov. 18. The meetings, taking place Nov. 18-20, feature customs delegations from more than 25 countries and will focus on greater communication and technology advancements in customs procedures.
Singapore Customs opened its new Customs Operations Command building, consolidating the agency’s intelligence, investigation and “compliance related functions” in one building, Singapore said in a Nov. 15 press release. Singapore said the building “provides modern facilities to support our enforcement operations,” including officer training. “This facility enhances the operational capability of Singapore Customs and affirms our commitment to our mission of protecting revenue, and making trade easy, fair and secure,” Director-General of Customs Ho Chee Pong said in a statement.