The United Kingdom on June 12 announced new plans to phase in import entry requirements for goods from the European Union over a six-month period following the end of the Brexit transition period on Dec. 31, 2020. The U.K. government will also provide £50 million in additional funding for customs brokers, forwarders and express couriers for recruitment, training and information technology (IT) expenses.

The Commerce Department announced a new rule that it said will help U.S. companies participate in international standard-setting bodies where Huawei is a member. Under the rule, companies will no longer need an export license to disclose technology to Huawei if that disclosure is for the “purpose of standards development in a standards-development body,” Commerce said in a June 15 press release. In addition, companies may only disclose technology to Huawei if that technology would not have required an export license before Huawei’s placement on the agency’s Entity List last year.

Companies operating in Hong Kong and mainland China should be reviewing their portfolios in preparation for increased U.S. export controls, which could impact a wide range of global firms, a Mayer Brown trade lawyer said. Aside from sanctions against Chinese officials for interference in Hong Kong’s autonomy, the U.S. is likely to align export control policies for Hong Kong with its policies toward mainland China, creating a significantly more restrictive trade environment, the lawyer said.

The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of June 12 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):

A longshoreman's union on the West Coast is calling for a one-day work stoppage on June 19 in response to racism and police brutality, the Local 10 leader told Jacobin magazine. International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 10 is a majority African American local, and the stoppage is also in protest of what it called plans to privatize the port of Oakland. The stoppage will be for eight hours, and will affect all 29 ports on the West Coast.

Certain European Union countries should lift internal border restrictions on travel by June 15, the European Commission said June 11. The press release said the 26 Schengen Area member states of Western Europe are among these countries. While the commission is not proposing an EU-wide lifting of travel restrictions “given that the health situation” in certain countries is still “critical,” the restrictions should be lifted for other nations that are no longer experiencing health issues and that can “apply containment measures during travel.” The EU wants to remove restrictions on travel to the EU starting July 1, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said. “International travel is key for tourism and business,” she said. “While we will all have to remain careful, the time has come to make concrete preparations for lifting restrictions with countries whose health situation is similar to the EU's.”

Cyprus will defer value-added tax payments for companies affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a June 10 news release. Under the measure, Cyprus will not impose penalties or interest on VATs that were due by April 10, May 10 or June 10 as long as they are paid by Nov. 10, the release said.

China has increased customs checks on coal imports, leading to lengthy delays at ports, a June 11 Reuters report said. China has introduced import quotas and slowed shipments through quality restrictions on “downstream users, such as utilities,” the report said, resulting in lengthier clearance times. Coal imports now may take up to 90 days to clear customs, instead of the customary 30 days, it said. The restrictions may be a measure by China to support domestic coal mining, the report said.

State-controlled and private Chinese buyers continue to purchase U.S. soybeans, despite growing tensions between the two countries (see 2005290047), Bloomberg reported June 10. Chinese companies purchased at least 10 cargoes of soybeans this month, Bloomberg said, which came after earlier reports that China was halting certain agricultural imports from the U.S., including soybeans, pork, corn and cotton (see 2006010044).

The U.S. is looking to seize a Waltham, Massachusetts, home from two people who allegedly used it to illegally export goods to several countries, including China, the Department of Justice said in a June 11 news release. Anni Beurklian, a naturalized citizen, and her husband, Antoine Ajaka, a Lebanese citizen and legal U.S. resident, used the home as a base for their company, Top Tech US Inc., which allegedly exported electronics and computer equipment illegally, DOJ said. Beurklian and Ajaka fled the U.S. in 2018 during plea negotiations to avoid prosecution, it said.