The World Customs Organization issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:​​

Singapore authorities charged two shipping managers after they worked together allegedly to ship sugar illegally to North Korea, the Singapore Police Force said in a June 19 notice. The two managers, along with the companies Wee Tiong Pte. Ltd. and Morgan Marcos Pte Ltd., allegedly falsified shipping documents and invoices to hide the companies’ transactions with North Korean entities. Both managers face a maximum 10-year prison sentence or a fine, or both.

Japan will impose higher duties on imports of Chinese “tris(chloropropyl)phosphate” after finding that the imports were “unfairly sold” and caused “actual damage to the Japanese industry,” the country said in a June 23 notice, according to an unofficial translation. The notice says TCPP is a “liquid mainly used as a flame retardant for hard urethane insulation.” The higher tariffs will not be applied to imports from Hong Kong and Macau, Japan said.

India restricted exports of certain personal protective equipment, including several types of masks, the country’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a June 22 notice. The measure restricts exports of “medical coveralls of all classes/categories,” medical goggles, “all masks” except for “non-medical/non-surgical masks,” “nitrile/NBR gloves” and face shields. The notice contains Harmonized System codes for each of the newly restricted items. The export policy on the items is listed as “Prohibited.”

China is asking soybean shippers to provide a document certifying their shipments are not contaminated by the novel coronavirus, which could slow soybean exports to China, a June 22 Bloomberg report said. China has asked at least U.S. and Brazilian exporters to include the documents with their shipments, the report said. Earlier this week, China suspended poultry imports from a U.S. Tyson Foods plant after some employees tested positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (see 2006220023).

The State Department on June 23 submitted to Congress its unclassified annual report on other countries’ compliance with global arms control, nonproliferation and disarmament agreements. The report contains comprehensive U.S. assessments on global compliance and expands on an April 15 executive summary of the report (see 2004160038).

The Distilled Spirits Council, on the two-year anniversary of retaliatory tariffs on American whiskey on June 22, said that the drop in exports to the European Union of $256 million isn't the full measure of the damage done to their business sector. The EU put 25% tariffs on whiskey and bourbon in response to the national security tariffs on European steel and aluminum. The EU has said it will increase the tax on American whiskey to 50% next June.

The United Kingdom presented its sanctions regulations for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Nicaragua to Parliament June 22, detailing sanctions authorities that will take effect after Brexit. The regulations include designation authorities, sanctions exceptions and licenses, and penalties for violations.

Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for June 15-19 in case you missed them.

One of the nominees for director general of the World Trade Organization, Hamid Mamdouh, told the Washington International Trade Association that the failings of the appellate body are because the WTO has abandoned negotiations. This is the same view held by the U.S., which has brought the issue to a head by killing the appellate body. Mamdouh, a senior counsel at King & Spalding, was speaking during a WITA webinar June 23.