On May 26, 2010, the Forest Legality Alliance was launched to support private sector efforts and policies to reduce trade in illegally harvested wood. The Alliance will (i) ensure that importers and supply chains know and understand the emerging new trade policies, (ii) develop new online resources that help companies assess the risk of encountering illegal wood, conduct due care, and complete import declarations, and (iii) work with suppliers to document best practices and unforeseen challenges associated with purchasing legal wood and complying with import regulations.

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada has issued the 2010 list of companies that hold quota for peanut butter.

The World Trade Organization’s June 2010 Trade Policy Review for China praised certain aspects of China’s recent trade policy, called for continued improvement in areas such as transparency, intellectual property rights, and the reduction of regulatory and other barriers, and noted the major trade developments since its last review.

The Canadian International Trade Tribunal has determined that there is a reasonable indication that the dumping of greenhouse bell peppers originating in or exported from the Netherlands had caused injury (Preliminary Injury Inquiry No. PI-2009-005).

The Canadian International Trade Tribunal will hold a public hearing on June 30, 2010 to consider an appeal in Nicholson and Cates Ltd. v. CBSA, on whether Trex Wood-Polymer® composite lumber, including profiles and molding, is classified under tariff item No. 3916.10.00 or under tariff item No. 4410.39.90.

Xinhua.net reports that Kenya and China have pledged to strengthen bilateral cooperation during a meeting between senior officials of the two countries. According to Kenya's vice president, his country appreciates the huge investment China has put into Kenya's infrastructure.

The European Commission has posted a list of the market access issues its local Market Access Teams are working to address in various countries. For example, in March 2009, the EC began to address Argentina's extension of its non-automatic license system to many industrial products and in June 2008 began working with Brazil on licensing and fiscal and tax problems and recalculation of prices at the border.

China's Ministry of Commerce states that China and South Korea have concluded a government-industry-university joint study on a Free Trade Area, with an MOU signed by both countries. Both parties agreed to further exchange opinions on their own concerns, in order to create conditions for launching talks soon.

Xinhuanet.com reports that the World Trade Organization's biennial review of China's trade policies alleges that China may be giving its manufacturers an unfair advantage by restricting exports of some raw materials. China uses restrictions such as prohibitions, licensing, quotas and partial tax rebates to manage exports of certain resources.

The European Commission has posted a chart providing an update of the status of its Free Trade Agreement negotiations with other countries.