Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for April 8-12 in case they were missed.
Exports to China
In the April 16 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
The government of Canada recently issued the following trade-related notices as of April 15 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):
It is unclear how China will enforce some of the regulations introduced in its new e-commerce law, according to an April 7 report published by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, leaving some foreign companies and small businesses uncertain about selling products to China online. Some foreign department stores that previously shipped online sales directly to China have already switched to large Chinese e-commerce platforms that import through a Chinese distributor, according to the report. Others, the report said, “have pulled out of the Chinese market entirely.”
The government of Canada recently issued the following trade-related notices as of April 12 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):
China and Croatia have signed an agreement to establish a “joint work group” that will improve “trade cooperation” between the two counties, according to a press release from China’s Ministry of Commerce. China called the agreement a “new platform for investment and cooperation,” and will continue to meet with Croatia to consult on “strengthening information exchange on policies” and “address barriers” in specific projects. Specifics of the agreement were not immediately released.
China’s Administration of Customs is expanding a campaign to combat solid waste smuggling, according to an April 12 press release, including “deepening law-enforcement cooperation with foreign countries” and “market regulation authorities.” The announcement comes less than a month after China Customs said it seized more than 300,000 tons of smuggled imported trash from a scheme that involved 22 smuggling groups (see 1903250021).
The U.S., Mexico and several other countries expressed concern over the European Union’s plans for allocating its tariff-rate quotas after the United Kingdom’s planned withdrawal from the EU, at an April 11 meeting of the WTO trade in goods council, according to a Geneva-based trade official. “The current approach to Brexit TRQ negotiations is unacceptable and we are eager to engage [with the EU] to ensure our rights are maintained,” a U.S. representative said at the meeting.
The U.S. Grains Council is asking China to eliminate antidumping and anti-subsidy tariffs on American distillers grains, according to a report from Reuters. China’s Ministry of Commerce will review the request and the tariffs on the grains, an animal feed ingredient, according to the report.
China is trying to stem coal imports by setting its 2019 import cap at 2018 levels, hoping to support domestic production, according to a report from Reuters. China, which the report said is the world’s largest coal consumer, made the decision after Chinese mining companies and “provincial governments” voiced opposition to more coal imports. Two purchase managers at Chinese steel mills told Reuters they were instructed by Customs to “control the purchase pace of imported coal” as Chinese domestic coal output is expected to rise by 100 million tons in 2019. The decision was made by China’s State Council, the report said. China imported about 280 million tons of coal in 2018, but “barely allowed” coal imports in December in an effort to meet a 2018 import quota that restricted imports to 2017 levels, Reuters said. Despite this, China still exceeded that quota by more than 10 million tons, according to the report. China Customs is expected to separate the 2019 coal quota into monthly volumes, Reuters said.