The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of June 8 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):
Exports to China
China’s Commerce Ministry criticized the U.S.’ recent addition of Chinese companies to the Entity List (see 2006030032) and said it will take “all necessary measures” to defend the rights of its companies, according to an unofficial translation of a June 5 notice. China said the U.S. has “abused” its export control measures, “causing serious damage to the international economic and trade order and a serious threat to the security of the global industrial supply chain.”
Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, plus Japan, China and South Korea, issued a joint statement committing to open trade during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an unofficial translation of a June 4 Japanese government notice. The countries agreed not to take “unnecessary measures that may affect the smooth flow of medical products” and committed to imposing only “targeted, purposeful, transparent and temporary” trade restrictions. The countries also said they are still working toward signing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement this year and plan to “resolve India’s outstanding issues” with the agreement (see 2005130018 and 1911040016).
China said it will continue to impose antidumping measures on imported acetone from Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, according to an unofficial translation of a June 5 notice. Introduced in 2008, the measures will be imposed for another five years, China said.
U.S. lawmakers and sanctions experts said the administration should move faster to impose sanctions on China for interference in Hong Kong and increase export controls on critical technologies and crowd control equipment. Democratic and Republican senators said they would back a bill introduced in the Senate this week that would sanction Chinese officials and foreign banks, while experts called for a focused, multilateral sanctions approach to minimize impacts on Hong Kong citizens and U.S. companies.
China released a list of approved pre-shipment inspection agencies for imported solid waste used as raw materials, according to an unofficial translation of a June 3 notice. China is ramping up efforts to decrease solid waste imports (see 2006030010).
China issued customs measures and a “trial entry and exit management system for goods” at the “Yangpu Bonded Port Area,” part of the Hainan free trade port (see 2006030007), according to an unofficial translation of a June 3 notice. Along with the trial management system, the measures contain a list of restricted goods and products that require inspections and quarantine.
Reports that China would be slowing or stopping its purchases of soybeans because of U.S. action over Hong Kong (see 2006010044) are inaccurate, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said. Lighthizer, who was speaking to the Economic Club of New York, Washington and Chicago by video on June 4, said China made $185 million worth of U.S. soybean purchases since that story was published. He said that coverage of the trade agreement frequently focuses on the purchase promises and neglects the structural reforms that were pledged, but that both tracks have been going well in the three months since the deal went into effect. “You’ll know what the score is before too long,” he said.
The top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee said most in Congress believe “Trump is right to hold China accountable for fundamental rights in Hong Kong,” but declined to say what should be done if that action leads to a breakdown in the phase one trade deal with China. China has already stopped some purchases of soybeans, but has not officially declared it will cease purchases of U.S.-grown commodities.
China recently passed a law to further reduce imports of solid waste, according to a June 3 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The law, which takes effect Sept. 1, includes provisions to help China reach its goal of zero imported solid waste, including permit requirements for certain activities and the introduction of a “domestic waste sorting system.” China previously expanded efforts to combat solid waste smuggling (see 1904120045 and 1903250021).