While the Chinese have not levied tariffs on U.S. aircraft, the top manufactured good China imports from the U.S., that could change if President Donald Trump follows through on his May 5 threat to hike 10 percent tariffs to 25 percent, one expert believes. Edward Alden, a trade expert and professor at Western Washington University, said that the Chinese have been seriously negotiating for five months, and if the U.S. walks away, they will hunker down for a long, protracted trade war. They could levy tariffs on airplanes, increase customs hassles for those U.S. firms exporting goods to China and create geopolitical trouble for the U.S.

Italy delayed the effective date of value-added taxes on “remote sales” of certain goods through “electronic interfaces,” including mobile phones, video game consoles, tablets and laptops, according to a May 2 notice from KPMG. The taxes will take effect Jan. 1, 2021, KPMG said, and VAT payments on remote sales are not required for the first quarter of 2019. However, KPMG said that beginning July 1, 2019, “taxable persons that make such remote sales have a reporting obligation for transactions conducted between” Feb. 13 and May 1 this year. The changes were announced as part of a decree regarding “urgent economic growth measures” published April 30, KPMG said. The decree also expanded the VAT reporting requirements for sales of all goods through “an electronic interface.”

In the May 3 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 May 3 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):

Health Canada recently published new regulations for corded window coverings meant to reduce the strangulation hazard created by such products, the agency said in a news release. The regulations specify "requirements for construction, performance, labelling, and required product information across all market segments," Health Canada said in a notice in the Canada Gazette, Part II. The regulations take effect May 1, 2021, and will apply to all corded window coverings "sold, advertised, imported, or manufactured in Canada," Health Canada said. Among other things, the regulations will add requirements for sizes, lead content and reachability.

Vietnam is banning imports of outdated machinery and production line equipment beginning June 15, according to a post on the Vietnam Briefing blog from Dezan Shira & Associates. The import ban is part of a larger prohibition on the use of imported machinery, equipment and production line technology that is more than 10 years old that also takes effect that date, the blog post said.

Singapore police arrested three men after Singapore Customs said they imported about $300,000 worth of counterfeit cellphone parts from China, the customs agency said in a May 2 press release. Customs first discovered the scheme in April, when officials intercepted a shipment from China at the Changi Airfreight Centre of more than 500 phone parts, Customs said. After “raids” at three separate locations, police said they found more than 3,400 counterfeit phone parts imported by the three men with “falsely applied trademarks of well-known brands.” Customs said the men imported the parts for “the purpose of trade.” The maximum penalty for importing or selling counterfeit goods is $100,000 and five years in prison, Customs said.

The European Union and Vietnam plan to ratify the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement by the end of 2019, according to a report from Vietnam's CustomsNews website, citing HSBC. The EU has scheduled trade discussions for May 28, the notice said. The agreement will increase trade and eliminate “virtually all tariffs on goods,” according to an announcement when several of the pact's agreements were adopted by European Commission in 2018. Vietnam will remove 65 percent of import duties on EU exports “with the remainder of duties being gradually eliminated over a 10-year period,” the EU said.

India is considering a “sharp” cut in import duties on gold and a decrease in the Goods and Services Tax on other “precious metals,” according to a May 3 report from the India Brand Equity Foundation. The cuts would reduce import duties on gold from 10 percent to 4 percent, the report said, but it is unclear how much a proposed tax change would cut duties on other metals. India’s current GST for precious metals is 3percent, the report said.

The Senate voted to close the debate on nominees for the Export-Import Bank of the United States’ board of directors on May 3, clearing the way for their confirmation, according to a press release from the Aerospace Industries Association. The nominees would give the bank enough directors for a quorum to approve transactions of more than $10 million, according to the release: “Should the nominees be confirmed, the Bank will be fully functional for the first time in four years.”