In the Oct. 22-23 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:

The United Kingdom's Department for International Trade updated guidance on its continuity trade agreements with Israel and Switzerland, according to Oct. 24 notices. The updated guidance, which provides details on what the trade deals will cover after a possible no-deal Brexit, includes added details on how the agreements differ from the current European Union agreements.

South Korea is increasing its imports of Vietnamese agricultural goods in order to balance Vietnam's trade deficit between the two countries, South Korea said in an Oct. 24 press release, according to an unofficial translation. South Korea said it plans to import more Vietnamese tropical fruits to strengthen “Vietnam’s agricultural competitiveness.” South Korea said it “will be able to alleviate trade imbalances in the medium and long term through this.” The press release came after the two countries recently met during the Korea-Vietnam Economic Cooperation Committee in Hanoi, where they discussed trade and economic cooperation.

China recently announced plans for 20 national pilot zones to promote the development and manufacturing of artificial intelligence, according to an Oct. 24 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The pilot zones aim to make China an internationally recognized AI innovation hub, the report said. The sites will be located across the country, including in the “Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Yangtze River Delta,” the report said. China’s plans come as the U.S. Commerce Department considers export controls on emerging technologies -- including artificial intelligence -- to limit China and other countries from gaining access to sensitive technology (see 1910040045).

Indonesia and Australia expect to ratify their signed trade agreement by the end of the year, Indonesia’s trade ministry said Oct. 22, according to an unofficial translation. The agreement will increase export opportunities for Indonesian businesses and covers several non-tariff issues, including rules of origin, customs procedures, technical trade barriers, phytosanitary measures and more, Indonesia said. The deal “is expected to help businesses penetrate the Australian market and develop economic powerhouses so that Indonesian businesses can compete in other third country markets," Indonesia’s director general of national export development said in a statement.

Vietnam is lifting an import ban on pre-owned information technology goods if those goods will be used for scientific research and development or will be re-exported, according to an Oct. 24 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The items were previously on a 2015 prohibited list but now must be re-exported or destroyed within three months of the completion of research and development, the report said. In cases in which “the imported items are to be used in repairs or export-processing,” the final goods are prohibited from being sold domestically and must be exported.

A California resident was indicted for illegally exporting 11 packages of turtles to Hong Kong, the Justice Department said in an Oct. 23 press release. Keri Zhang Wang allegedly placed the box turtles and map turtles inside socks, which she placed inside shoe boxes “with packing materials.” She placed the shoebox “under bags of snacks and chips for shipping” and did not label the packages as containing turtles, the Justice Department said. The turtles are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and Zhang Wang did not have the required permits to export them, the press release said. Zhang Wang was charged with four counts of smuggling goods and four counts of Lacey Act false labeling. She faces a maximum 10-year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine.

An Ohio man was sentenced to 20 months in prison for illegally exporting gas and oil pipeline parts to Iran for more than a decade, the Justice Department said in an Oct. 24 press release. Behrooz Behroozian used an intermediary company, Sumar Industrial Equipment, to hide the exports, which violated U.S. sanctions on Iran and the Emergency Economic Powers Act, the press release said. Behroozian allegedly exported “manifolds, valves and connectors” used in the pipelines and oil industry, earning about $40,000 per year. Behroozian also owned Dublin-based Comtech International, a self-proclaimed computer parts supplier that instead of computer parts shipped industrial equipment to Behroozian’s company in the United Arab Emirates before it was then exported to Iran.

President Donald Trump, speaking at a fracking conference in Pennsylvania, first said that Democrats don't want to put the NAFTA rewrite up for a vote, then said, "But I think they're going to put it up because everybody wants it, and I think ultimately, they're going to do the right thing."

The Drug Enforcement Administration permanently placed the synthetic opioids cyclopropyl fentanyl, methoxyacetyl fentanyl, ortho-fluorofentanyl, and para-fluorobutyryl fentanyl into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, in a final order. These substances had already been temporarily listed in Schedule I, so are already subject to import and export restrictions applicable to Schedule I controlled substances. The final order takes effect Oct. 25.