The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of Oct. 21 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):
Exports to China
Britain's beef exporters will have “full access” to the Chinese market for the first time in more than 20 years as part of a deal between the two countries, the United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade said Oct. 18. China cleared four “beef sites for export” after “extensive inspections” by authorities, who “confirmed that British beef producers meet the necessary standards to export to their market, the UK said. More sites are under review, the UK said, and UK beef exports are expected to be shipped within months.
A recently upgraded China-Singapore free trade agreement represents China's attempt to diversify its trading relationships as the U.S.-China trade war continues, according to an Oct. 21 post from Dezan Shira & Associates. The upgraded agreement, which took effect Oct. 16, expands cooperation on rules of origin, customs procedures, trade remedies and more, the post said. “China is actively diversifying its economic relationships with new and old partners and strengthening cooperation with Belt and Road countries, including Singapore,” the law firm said. The agreement will lead to “improved trade and investment ties” between the two countries, according to the post.
China signed memorandums of understanding on e-commerce with Samoa and Vanuatu, China’s Ministry of Commerce said Oct. 21, according to an unofficial translation. China will establish an “e-commerce cooperation mechanism” with Samoa to “promote the trade of quality products … create a good cooperation environment for the development of e-commerce in the two countries, and further expand new channels for bilateral economic and trade cooperation.” China said it plans to work with Vanuatu to “strengthen policy communication and coordination in the field of e-commerce, and cooperate in corporate exchanges, personnel training, sharing best practices and innovative experiences.”
China is going to ask the World Trade Organization to authorize retaliatory tariffs on $2.4 billion worth of goods at the WTO's dispute settlement body meeting Oct. 28. If the U.S. disagrees with either the argument that it's not complying with the ruling on countervailing duties, or the amount of retaliation permitted, an arbitrator will decide how much China may retaliate.
Trade experts identified many weaknesses of the World Trade Organization -- the evidentiary standard for countervailing duties: the fact that CVD in one market doesn't help the industry's economics when surplus flows to other countries; the length of time it takes to show adverse effects to domestic firms; the fact that 164 countries can't agree on trade liberalization.
Companies and trade groups warned the Treasury Department that the proposed regulations for the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act may repel foreign investors and customers, fails to clearly define “critical technologies” and could place trusted trading partners at disadvantages, according to comments due Oct. 17.
A Chinese national was sentenced to 40 months in prison after trying to export military and space-related technology to China without proper licenses, violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the Justice Department said in an Oct. 18 press release.
A top U.S. Department of Agriculture official lauded China’s recent purchases of U.S. agricultural products, saying the “phase one” agreement announced last week is a “positive.”
China’s Guangdong province plans to prioritize imports of a “wide range of equipment, components and technological processes” that are “essential” to its key commercial sectors, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council said in an Oct. 18 report. The priority imports include 575 components, 103 equipment goods and 519 advanced technological processes, the report said. The components include “high-speed high precision robotic arms" and sewage treatment systems. The equipment goods include “precision forging, multistage forging and vehicle part casting systems," "new-energy vehicle components production facilities” and other specialized electronic equipment. The advanced technological processes include agricultural technologies for “improving the sugar content, yield and pest-resistance of sugar cane” and certain pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment technology, the HKTDC said.