Chinese companies should “strengthen” their due diligence procedures to make sure they’re not doing business with U.S. defense companies Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, which were placed on China’s so-called Unreliable Entity List in February (see 2302160064), China’s Ministry of Commerce said this week. Both firms are blocked from “engaging in import and export activities related to China,” which will “prevent Chinese products from being used in their military business,” a ministry spokesperson said April 18, according to an unofficial translation.

China condemned the recent U.S. inclusion of 12 Chinese companies on the Entity List for their aid to Russia's war against Ukraine. All 12 companies were accused of backing Russia's military or defense industrial base (see 2304120039). A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce said the U.S. has no basis in international law to carry out the sanctions, and the move is a "typical unilateral sanction" that damages the legitimate rights of Chinese companies, according to an unofficial translation. The spokesperson called for the immediate cessation of the sanctions, adding that China will safeguard the interests of its companies.

Singapore Customs said the electronic exchange of the ASEAN Single Window Singapore Gateway will be down for maintenance from April 21 at 6 p.m. local time to April 24 at noon local time. The customs agency will be installing new software on the gateway, so traders should submit their ATIGA e-Form Ds before or after the scheduled maintenance.

China is preparing an export ban on technology needed to process and magnetize rare earth metals, The Telegraph reported. These metals are used in advanced technology, including in high-performance magnets for electric vehicles and wind turbine motors. The news comes after China's Ministry of Commerce floated alterations to its list of goods subject to export restrictions in 2022, according to an unofficial translation.

China sanctioned Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, following his visit last week to Taiwan. McCaul, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was subjected to an asset freeze and travel ban, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said April 13, according to an unofficial translation. The ministry said his leadership of a bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers to Taiwan and previous comments on Taiwan interfere with Chinese internal affairs.

China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations wrapped up the second round of talks on the third iteration of a free trade agreement between the parties. The trade agreement will cover cooperation in such fields as digital economy, green economy, trade in goods, investment, competition and consumer protection, sanitation and plant sanitation, standards and technical regulations, China's Ministry of Commerce said, according to an unofficial translation. The first round of talks were held virtually in February, with the April 10-12 negotiations the first offline discussion between the parties, the ministry said.

The Philippines recently told the Association of Southeast Asian Nations secretary-general that it ratified the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said. The Philippines' accession to RCEP will become effective June 2.

China last week sanctioned the Hudson Institute think tank and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library for hosting Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen. The two institutions let Tsai engage in political activities related to "Taiwan independence," which violated the one-China policy, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, according to an unofficial translation. The restrictions bar Chinese universities, institutions and other organizations from cooperating with the sanctioned parties. In addition, several officials from the two groups were subjected to an asset freeze and travel ban.

Japan agreed last week to lower Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza-related trade restrictions on U.S. poultry exports, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said in a report. The April 3 amendment to Japan’s HPAI trade restrictions “makes premises banned for an incidence of HPAI eligible to have restrictions lifted after 28 days instead of 90 days post cleaning and disinfection,” USDA said. “This brings Japan in line with World Organization for Animal Health recommendations.”

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry decided to extend the ban on all exports to North Korea and all imports originating in or shipped from North Korea, starting April 14 until April 13, 2025. Goods that are exported to North Korea for humanitarian purposes are exempt from the restrictions.