The South African Development Community recently approved official guidelines for cross-border movement of goods during the COVID-19 pandemic, a July 3 Hong Kong Trade Development Council report said. The guidelines detail mandatory procedures for truck drivers and other transportation crews that are moving goods, including virus testing requirements, checkpoint management, hygiene practices, personal protective equipment requirements, loading procedures and record keeping.

The Canada government issued the following trade-related notices as of July 8 (some may also be given separate headlines):

Indonesia introduced a new regulation to improve the “effectiveness” of customs supervision of imports, the country’s trade ministry said in a July 7 notice, according to an unofficial translation. The measure, which takes effect Aug. 25, revokes previous self-declaration requirements and introduces new data reporting requirements, the notice said, including information on the type of good being imported and its quantity or volume. The measure will help customs officials “tighten supervision of imported goods,” an Indonesian customs official said, according to the notice. Importers who violate the requirements will be subject to sanctions, the notice said.

The State Department approved a potential military sale to Jordan worth about $23 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said July 7. The sale includes one “UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter” and related equipment. The principal contractors are Sikorsky Aircraft Company and General Electric Aircraft Company.

United Kingdom Secretary of State for International Trade Elizabeth Truss said negotiations with the U.S. on a free trade agreement so far have been “positive and constructive,” and she sees a way forward for the deal. “I think it is possible to protect our red lines, protect our regulatory independence, whilst opening markets,” she said.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Kenya Secretary for Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development Betty Maina released a joint statement on the formal launch of free trade negotiations.

The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation renewed five designations under its terrorism sanctions, a July 7 notice said. OFSI renewed sanctions for Qasem Soleimani, Hamed Abdollahi, Manssor Arbabsiar, Ali Gholam Shakuri and Abdul Reza Shahlai. The renewals took effect July 6.

The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls July 7 published documents related to the May 14 Defense Trade Advisory Group plenary meeting. The documents include meeting minutes, presentations, compliance guidelines for defense exports and information about foreign licensing reviews.

Canada announced a ban on exports of “sensitive” military items to Hong Kong due to Beijing’s passage of the Hong Kong national security law. In a July 7 notice, the country said it will treat exports to Hong Kong “in the same way as those destined for China” and will “closely scrutinize” all export permit applications to Hong Kong to deny permits “that are not in line with Canada’s domestic and international legal obligations, foreign policy or security interests.” The country said it will reassess the ban if changes in Hong Kong are made.

The upcoming U.S. presidential election and the increasing government focus on China will likely “exacerbate risk” for companies with supply chains in China’s Xinjiang region, law firm Covington said. The region has come under scrutiny for human rights abuses and has been a recent focal point of U.S. sanctions.