China and Ecuador wrapped up negotiations over a free trade agreement Feb. 16, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, according to an unofficial translation. China said the FTA will promote sustained and stable trade and investment between the two countries. Both parties will look to sign the agreement as soon as possible, it said.

USDA is accepting applications from exporters for its upcoming trade mission in Japan, the agency's Foreign Agricultural Service said last week. The June 5-8 trade mission will offer U.S. agribusinesses the “potential to increase or expand their sales to Japan,” the agency said. The mission will travel to Tokyo and Osaka and will feature meetings between U.S. businesses and potential Japanese buyers. USDA said “strong opportunities” exist in Japan for exporters of meat, meat products, tree nuts, dairy products, condiments, sauces, fresh vegetables, processed fruit, egg products, beer, distilled spirits, wine and consumer-oriented goods. Applications are due Feb. 27.

China’s commerce ministry this week announced penalties and trade restrictions on U.S. defense companies Lockheed Martin and Raytheon over their arms sales to Taiwan. The measure placed Lockheed and Raytheon Missiles and Defense, a Raytheon subsidiary, on China’s so-called Unreliable Entity List and prohibits them from “engaging in import and export activities related to China,” according to an unofficial translation of a Feb. 16 ministry notice.

Singapore announced excise duty revisions for various tobacco and cigarette products, Singapore Customs announced. The tariff changes took effect Feb. 14. In most cases, there is an increase in the duties.

An agreement among the U.S., Japan and the Netherlands to restrict exports of advanced chip-related items to China could “cause serious harm” to Chinese chip companies and “long-term damages to the interests of consumers” around the world, the China Semiconductor Industry Association said in a Feb. 15 statement, according to an unofficial translation. The association said the new restrictions, which the three countries reportedly agreed to last month (see 2301270002), risk “destroying the existing global semiconductor ecology. CSIA opposes the act of interfering in global trade liberalization, distorting the balance of supply and demand” and attempts to “exclude China’s semiconductor industry from the global innovation system and free competition market.”

China said it would take "countermeasures" against U.S. entities in response to sanctions on Chinese companies over the entry of a Chinese surveillance balloon into U.S. airspace. The U.S. sanctioned six Chinese entities in response to the balloon, adding them to the Entity List (see 2302100072). A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at a regular press conference in Beijing Feb. 15 that it will take retaliatory measures "against relevant US entities that have undermined China’s sovereignty and security to firmly safeguard China’s sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests."

The United Arab Emirates recently introduced new fees on import attestations, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Feb. 13. The UAE said all goods imported into the country worth $2,723 or more must include an invoice attested by the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC), the report said. The UAE will charge about $40 for each imported commercial goods invoice worth $2,723 or more. The country will also charge fees for “attesting other commercial documents,” the report said, and importers have 14 days from the customs declaration release date to pay the fees, with exceptions for certain goods. Traders who fail to pay the fees will be subject to a fine.

Malaysia recently delayed a new sales tax on imported low-value goods to give sellers time to register on a mandatory government website, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Feb. 14. The sales tax, which was scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, will now be collected starting in April, the report said. The measure will impose a 10% tax on the price of certain low-value goods purchased overseas; smoking and vaping products are exempt. Sellers who don’t pay the tax may face a penalty “between 10% and 40% of the amount due, depending on how late their payment is,” the report said.

China "firmly opposes" the U.S. move to add six Chinese entities to the Entity List over their ties to China's "High Altitude Balloons" intelligence and reconnaissance activities, China's Ministry of Commerce said, according to an unofficial translation. Responding to a reporter's question on the inclusion of the entities, the ministry said it hopes the U.S. "will stop its unreasonable suppression of Chinese companies and will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies."

China prohibited the direct or indirect import of artiodactyls, including sheep, goats, pigs, cows and deer, from Iraq following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Iraqi livestock, the General Administration of Customs announced, according to an unofficial translation. Last month, Iraq reported to the World Organization for Animal Health that over 1,500 cattle and 500 sheep, of which 11 and 10 died, respectively, were infected with the disease. China said that to protect its livestock and prevent the spread of the disease, Iraqi farmers cannot send cloven-hoofed animals to China, and any shipments of such will be returned or destroyed.