Singapore Customs’ TradeNet will undergo system maintenance from 4 a.m. to noon on Nov. 3, Singapore said in an Oct. 18 notice. Singapore asked users to avoid submitting applications during the maintenance period.

China’s Guangdong province plans to prioritize imports of a “wide range of equipment, components and technological processes” that are “essential” to its key commercial sectors, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council said in an Oct. 18 report. The priority imports include 575 components, 103 equipment goods and 519 advanced technological processes, the report said. The components include “high-speed high precision robotic arms" and sewage treatment systems. The equipment goods include “precision forging, multistage forging and vehicle part casting systems," "new-energy vehicle components production facilities” and other specialized electronic equipment. The advanced technological processes include agricultural technologies for “improving the sugar content, yield and pest-resistance of sugar cane” and certain pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment technology, the HKTDC said.

A Chinese national was sentenced to 40 months in prison after trying to export military and space-related technology to China without proper licenses, violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the Justice Department said in an Oct. 18 press release.

The House plans to pass a “strong, bipartisan” sanctions package this week in response to the Trump administration's decision to lift sanctions on Turkey in exchange for a ceasefire in Syria, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. Pelosi’s comments came after the Trump administration announced last week it would be suspending further sanctions on Turkey and plans to lift recently announced sanctions in exchange for the ceasefire.

A top U.S. Department of Agriculture official lauded China’s recent purchases of U.S. agricultural products, saying the “phase one” agreement announced last week is a “positive.”

The EU will apply its own tariffs to U.S. products, Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmstrom said in a news release. "“We regret the choice of the U.S. to move ahead with tariffs," she said. "This step leaves us no alternative but to follow through in due course with our own tariffs in the Boeing case, where the U.S. has been found in breach of WTO rules."

Companies and trade groups warned the Treasury Department that the proposed regulations for the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act may repel foreign investors and customers, fails to clearly define “critical technologies” and could place trusted trading partners at disadvantages, according to comments due Oct. 17.

The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security is amending the Export Administration Regulations to further restrict exports and re-exports to Cuba, BIS said in a notice. The amendments change BIS licensing policies and exceptions for certain aircrafts and vessels, establish a 10 percent de minimis level for Cuba, make the Cuban government ineligible for certain donations and clarify the scope of unlicensed telecommunication items the Cuban government can receive. The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs recently said it completed its review of the rule (see 1910150041)

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- CBP hopes to have a fully functioning electronic export manifest system up and running by the end of year, said Jim Swanson, CBP director-cargo and security controls, at the Western Cargo Conference (WESCCON) on Oct. 11. Specifically, Swanson is eyeing a “November time frame” for the ocean, air and rail modes, with truck coming at a later date after CBP completes its work on rebuilding the inbound manifest system for that mode, he said.

The World Trade Organization will collaborate with the International Trade Centre and the World Customs Organization on the rules of origin database tool that the ITC and the WCO announced last year, the ITC said in a news release. The Rules of Origin Facilitator is a free online tool meant to help companies figure out the rules of origin that are part of trade agreements around the world. "With the WTO on board we will be able to make this invaluable digital tool available to more enterprises in developing countries and ensure greater transparency in trade," ITC Deputy Executive Director Dorothy Tembo said.