Egypt recently established a new state entity within the Ministry of Trade and Industry responsible for granting label certifications, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report released Feb. 3. The agency, ISEGHALAL, was established Jan. 5 and “legitimizes” Egypt’s sole authorized halal certification entity in the U.S., IS EG Halal in New Jersey, which certifies U.S. food and beverages being exported to Egypt.

Iran's Ministry of Industry, Mining and Trade issued 1,000 cryptocurrency mining permits to increase the use of digital currency within Iran’s economy, according to an unofficial translation of a February report from Ibena, an Iranian news agency. The move was intended to allow Iran to “import goods and circumvent the problems of bank sanctions for payments,” a member of Iran’s Blockchain Commission of the Computer Trade Union Organization told Ibena. The report said the move, which is aimed at avoiding U.S. sanctions, could “boost the industry and its revenues.”

In its first comments at the World Trade Organization as a separate member from the European Union, the United Kingdom said it wants to prioritize improving trade in services within the WTO for least-developed countries, calling for “streamlined” procedures for qualifications, licensing and increased transparency, according to a Feb. 4 press release. The U.K.’s ambassador to the WTO said the U.K. wants to address service trade barriers, adding that firms “often lose valuable time applying and waiting for licenses from host regulators.” In a Feb. 1 notice to the WTO, the U.K. signaled it hopes to improve trading conditions for developing countries and will continue to be a “strong supporter” of the WTO (see 2002030013).

Singapore Customs’ TradeNet will undergo system maintenance from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time on Sunday, Feb. 23, Singapore said in a Jan. 31 notice. The agency is advising users to avoid submitting applications during this time. This is in addition to usual maintenance on Sundays from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m.

Hong Kong lifted its ban on imports of romaine lettuce from Salinas, California, effective Jan. 24, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report released Feb. 3. Hong Kong agreed to lift the ban once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention affirmed that there was no longer a risk of E. coli from an outbreak in 2019. Hong Kong initially announced the ban in November (see 1911290001).

The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls will launch the registration and licensing applications for its Defense Export Control and Compliance System on Feb. 18, the DDTC said Feb. 3. Until then, DDTC said users should “continue to process requests as normal.” Users can enroll on the DDTC website. DDTC recently released a recording of its Jan. 14 DECCS webinar (see 2001230011).

Experts disagreed on whether the spread of the coronavirus will make it impossible for China to reach its purchase commitments, or make it more likely that China will wish to please the U.S., as its economy suffers. But one thing most agreed on -- the disease's impact is another reminder, after the tariff war, that companies should diversify instead of being wholly reliant on Chinese factories. The experts were on a panel at the Washington International Trade Association conference Feb. 4 on the future of U.S.-China trade.

The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation renewed sanctions for three entries on its terrorist asset-freezing list, according to a Feb. 3 notice. The renewed sanctions target Egypt-based Musa Abu Marzouk, Lebanon-based Usama Hamdan and Qatar-based Khalid Mishaal.

Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for Jan. 27-31 in case you missed them.

China took a “few positive steps” to revise the draft of its export control law (see 2001100047) but should address several key areas of concern for U.S. and Chinese companies, the U.S. China Business Council said in comments released this week. The USCBC asked China to clarify the scope of its export controls and the term “national security,” provide a clearer definition for activities that are “deemed exports,” and consider more relaxed requirements for end-user statements and certificates.