Xinhuanet.com reports that Australia hopes for conclusion of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks with China by the end of this year, said Chinese Deputy Minister of Commerce Chen Jian. China and Australia are scheduled to hold the 15th round of FTA talks on June 28 in Beijing.

The World Trade Organization has published its 2010 WTO Annual Report. The report provides a brief summary of the organization and a detailed review of its activities in 2009. It also includes a personal message from the Director-General, who reflects on the events of 2009, the impact of the financial crisis and the challenges that lie ahead.

China's Ministry of Finance stated that China would grant zero tariff status to 4,762 categories of commodities now imported from 33 of the world's least developed countries beginning July 1.The countries include 26 African countries and seven from other regions.

The European Parliament has issued a press release announcing that new proposals to encourage cross-border e-trading by building consumer trust were approved by the Internal Market Committee on June 24, 2010. According to the press release, having been adopted unanimously by the Internal Market Committee, the proposals are scheduled for a plenary vote in September.

Canada's Department of Environment is requesting applications by July 29, 2010, from persons seeking to use methyl bromide in Canada under a critical use exemption. Applications will be used by the government to determine its Montreal Protocol nominations for critical use exemptions for the years 2012 and 2013.

In the June 22, 2010 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union, the following trade-related notices were posted:

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency states that effective June 21, 2010, it is accepting shipments of fresh fruits (except grapes and olives) from areas of California regulated for European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana) when they are certified free of the insect. Phytosanitary certificates issued by the USDA must declare that "The consignment was inspected and found free from Lobesia botrana." At present, six counties in California contain regulated areas: Fresno, Mendocina, Merced, Napa, Solano and Sonoma.

On June 17, 2010, the Canadian Border Services Agency issued an expiry determination to continue the antidumping duty orders on refined sugar, refined from sugar cane or sugar beets, in granulated, liquid and powdered form, originating in or exported from the U.S., Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, and the countervailing duty orders these same products originating in or exported from the European Union. The CBSA determined that the expiry of the orders is likely to result in the continuation or resumption of dumping and/or subsidizing of the goods

The World Trade Organization has posted a notice announcing that the Dispute Settlement Panel on U.S. - Measures Concerning the Importation, Marketing and Sale of Tuna and Tuna Products (WT/DS381) will not complete its work within six months from the date of its composition, and expects that it will issue its final report to the parties in February 2011.

The European Chemicals Agency has announced the release of a new manual on how report the substance identity in IUCLID 5 for registration under REACH. The manual explains how to structure the substance identification information in IUCLID 5 in accordance with REACH-IT. The manual also explains which systematic verifications REACH-IT applies to registration dossiers to ensure coherence of the substance identity related information in the database.