Vietnam’s automated customs clearance system has launched in every customs office throughout the country and the nation has cut down on “administrative procedures in the field,” Vietnam's Customs deputy director general said July 29, according to a report from Vietnam Plus. Deputy Director General Hoang Viet Cuong spoke during a “consultation seminar” on a draft circular on customs risk management, highlighting the need “to build the circular in order to facilitate exports-imports and control law abidance in the field.” Claudio Dordi, director of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Trade Facilitation Program, had praise for Vietnam's efforts in trade facilitation, and said the circular will improve business transparency and help the country “effectively realise free trade agreements,” according to the report.

Chinese importers have recently been upping purchases of U.S. agricultural products, according to a report from China’s state run Xinhua news service. “Since July 19, some Chinese firms have inquired with U.S. suppliers about the new purchases of U.S. farm produce including soybeans, cotton, pork and sorghum. Currently, a batch of deals have been made in line with market conditions,” Xinhua said. “The Chinese enterprises involved have applied for the lifting of additional tariffs on some of the U.S. farm produce, and the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council will handle their applications according to stipulated procedures.” So far, millions of tons of U.S. soybeans have been shipped to China, the report said, tying the recent activity to talks held between President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping in June.

China’s Ministry of Commerce is conducting an antidumping investigation on imports of “N-propanol” originating in the U.S., the ministry said in a July 24 press release. The ministry said its investigation will include “n-Propylalcohol, 1-Propanol, 1-Propyl alcohol, Propan-1-ol, Ethylcarbinol or 1-Hydroxypropane.” China said it expects to complete its investigation before July 23, 2020.

Thailand is extending a program that allows companies to voluntarily disclose and correct unintentional underpayments of customs duties and be eligible for penalty exemptions, according to a July 26 KPMG report. The program, extended until April 30, 2020, will give companies that disclose underpayments an “exemption from customs penalties” and reduce their monthly customs surcharge rate, KPMG said. Thailand will reduce the surcharges from 1 percent to .25 percent if the disclosure is made within one year after the importation, to .50 percent if the disclosure is made within two years, and to .75-percent if the disclosure is made within three years, the report said. The exemption will not impact companies’ value-added tax surcharges and penalties, the report said. Businesses may be ineligible for the program if they are “subject to a customs post-clearance audit” or are being investigated for customs violations, according to the report.

Guangzhou Customs in China will only accept digital versions of the “Customs Broker Power of Attorney Agreement” starting Aug. 1, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council said in a July 23 report. The electronic version must be signed by the “customs declaration enterprise” and the “consignor (or consignee) of the imported/exported goods,” the report said. Guangzhou will then require it to be submitted through the region’s “customs clearance system,” the report said.

China will impose antidumping duties on certain stainless steel products imported from the European Union, Japan, South Korea and Indonesia, the country’s Ministry of Commerce announced in a July 23 press release. China said it is being “substantially damaged” by dumped imports of “stainless steel billet and hot-rolled stainless steel plate/coil” originating in the EU and the three other countries, and will impose antidumping duties ranging from 18.1 percent to 103.1 percent on these products. The duty rates will be in effect for five years, starting July 23, China said. The ruling stems from an investigation China began on July 23, 2018, the ministry said.

Thailand issued new quality standards for alcohol imports that requires all imports to meet the country’s Certificate of Analysis standards, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a Foreign Agricultural Service report released July 24. The country in March issued an extension for “full implementation” of the procedures (see 1903190029). The changes took effect June 5, USDA said.

Bangladesh’s Export Promotion Bureau is expected to soon launch an online registration system that will require companies that export to the European Union, Switzerland or Norway to “self-issue” certificates of origin for their goods, according to a July 25 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. Companies will have until June 30, 2020, to register with the bureau and obtain an EU Registered Exporter number, which will allow them to self-issue certificates of origin for a 12-month period, the report said. Companies will need to register annually to “maintain their [Generalized System of Preferences] entitlement,” the report said.

Singapore’s customs and trade agreement with New Zealand will take effect Aug. 1, enhancing customs clearance for both countries, Singapore said in a July 25 notice. Singapore said the Mutual Recognition Arrangement will “further our efforts to enhance global supply chain security and facilitate the movement of legitimate goods” by allowing certain certified companies to trade between Singapore and New Zealand with expedited customs procedures. Companies benefiting from the deal must be certified by Singapore Customs as “having robust security practices and lower risks” or by the New Zealand Customs Service’s Secure Exports Scheme, the notice said.

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry released a July 24 statement about Japan’s ongoing dispute with South Korea, saying South Korea’s position on “catch-all controls” are “unclear” and criticizing South Korea for continuously postponing “policy dialogue” talks.