Another round of negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will take place this month, according to an unofficial translation of a May 13 notice from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The negotiations, featuring the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as well as Japan, China, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India, will take place May 15-20 via videoconference, the notice said. Countries had expected in 2019 to finalize RCEP negotiations this year (see 1911040016), but now it is unclear if the COVID-19 pandemic will lead to more delays.

India amended its import policy for certain types of silver, according to a May 13 notice from the country’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade. The update will loosen certain restrictions on imports of powdered silver, unwrought silver, silver sheets, pipes, strips, tubes and more, the notice said. India said silver imports “under Advance Authorization and supply of silver directly by foreign buyers to exporters” under the country’s Foreign Trade Policy “are exempted.”

Hong Kong’s Trade and Industry Department issued a May 12 notice to traders about the U.S. Commerce Department’s upcoming elimination of license exceptions for civil end-users (see 2004270026), which will affect exports, reexports and transfers of U.S.-origin goods from Hong Kong. Hong Kong informed industry that exports usually allowed under the license exception will now require a U.S. authorization, adding that it will specifically impact shipments of electronics, computers and telecommunications products. Although the U.S. exemption will be eliminated, Hong Kong will make “no change” to its “import and export licensing control on strategic commodities,” the country said. Traders exporting or importing U.S. goods no longer covered by the exemption “are advised to liaise and check with their U.S. exporters/manufacturers, particularly to obtain the necessary and applicable US export authorisation,” the notice said.

China temporarily banned beef imports from four Australian beef exporters after “repeated violations of inspection and quarantine requirements,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said during a March 12 press conference. The spokesperson said China will no longer process import declarations for those four Australian companies and asked Australia “to conduct a thorough investigation to find the cause and address the issue.” The measure banned imports from Kilcoy Pastoral Company, the Northern Cooperative Meat Company and two plants belonging to JBS Australia, which are among Australia’s “largest” beef meat processors, according to a May 12 Reuters report.

The United Kingdom published its negotiating objectives for a free trade deal with Japan and said the first round of negotiations will begin “shortly,” according to a May 12 notice from the U.K.’s Department for International Trade. The U.K. said it wants “cutting edge provisions” on digital trade and wants “zero or lower tariffs” for its exporters, including its textile and clothing manufacturers. The U.K. said talks will begin through videoconferences until international travel is safe.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control updated 490 North Korea-related entries on its Specially Designated Nationals List, according to a May 13 notice. The update stems from the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, which modified the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act to block foreign subsidiaries of U.S. financial institutions “from knowingly engaging in transactions with” SDNs “that have been designated under North Korea-related authorities,” OFAC said. OFAC introduced a “descriptive text” to “clarify to the private sector what SDNs have this prohibition” and added the descriptive text to the SDN entries.

Nynas AB, a joint venture between biofuel producer Neste and Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., is no longer designated by the Treasury Department after a “corporate restructuring” by the company, Nynas said May 12. The company’s restructuring “severs control by blocked persons and reduces the interest of blocked persons below 50 percent,” the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said in a May 12 notice in which it announced it was revoking a general license for Nynas (see 2005120028). OFAC clarified that U.S. companies and people no longer need an authorization to deal with Nynas “provided such activities do not involve blocked persons.”

China is unlikely to meet its purchase commitments under the phase one deal, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which could lead to China invoking a force majeure clause and further postponing the prospects of a phase two agreement, China trade experts said. “Given the COVID-19 crisis, the target set in the phase one deal will be very hard to achieve,” Xu Gao, chief economist at Bank of China International, said during a May 13 webinar hosted by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

The World Customs Organization, with help from the World Health Organization, updated its list of tariff classifications for COVID-19 medical supplies to include priority medicines, the WCO said in a news release. “The List of WHO/WCO Priority Medicines for Customs Used during COVID-19 aims at assisting Customs and economic operators in classifying these medicines,” it said. The list contains the suggested HS codes for medicines used in the general medical care administered to hospitalized patients; as part of the direct treatment of the COVID-19 disease; and for which interrupted supply could result in serious health consequences. The new list, which will now be continuously updated, is the result of an efficient collaboration between the WHO and the WCO. The medicines and active substances were compiled by the WHO taking into account various information published by National Health Authorities, scientific societies or pharmacology experts, and with suggested HS codes provided by the WCO Secretariat.”

The World Customs Organization issued the following release on commercial trade and related matters:​​