The Philippines will eliminate its import restrictions on food produced in Japan’s Fukushima region, Japan said Jan. 9, according to an unofficial translation of a Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release. Japan said the Philippines had previously required a “radioactive material inspection report” for Japanese food imports, which will now no longer be required, Japan said. Japan has implored countries to reduce restrictions created to guard against possible food-related radiation contamination from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster in 2011 (see 1911010030).

Publicly listed companies in Malaysia will be required to adopt anti-corruption measures detailed in the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act by June 1, according to a Jan. 9 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The measures will require companies to establish “clear procedures” for reporting corruption and review the “effectiveness” of their policies at least once every three years, the report said. The measures are aimed at promoting “better corporate governance” in Malaysia to establish a “culture of ethical behaviour within listed companies and their group entities.”

China’s latest draft of its export control law (see 1912260029) represents the country’s first “comprehensive and consolidated” export control legislation and includes regulations for end-user statements, increased penalties and more, according to a Jan. 9 post from Baker McKenzie.

China recently amended its declaration requirements for goods entering and exiting special customs supervision areas under free trade agreements, according to a Jan. 10 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The changes, which took effect Jan. 1, aim to simplify the filing procedures for “conventional or preferential rates” by allowing the imported goods’ consignee or agent to no longer have to fill out China’s Customs Declaration Form or the Record-Filing List for Inbound Goods, the report said. The measures are expected to make it easier for goods to benefit from preferential duty treatment.

South Korea recently imposed a volume-based liquor tax for beer that will reduce costs of imported U.S. craft beer, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report released Jan. 8. The new 72 percent per liter liquor tax, which took effect Jan. 1, replaced the previous 72 percent “value-based liquor tax for beer,” USDA said. The change is expected to benefit “higher quality beer,” such as U.S. craft beer, which will see the “largest decline in liquor taxes,” the report said. Most “mass-produced lower price” beer will see a “minimal change” in taxes, USDA said.

India’s Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs amended its goods and services tax rules affecting supply chain actors, according to a Jan. 3 KPMG post. The rules, which took effect Jan. 1, include an “alternative composition scheme” for suppliers with an annual turnover of about $70,000 and a “higher exemption threshold through the specific request of the state and recommendation of the GST council,” KPMG said. The rules also make changes to “modes of electronic payment for specified suppliers” and penalties for profiteering violations.

China’s Department of Foreign Trade recently introduced policies to “increase support and guidance” for border trade and the tax environment, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council said in a Jan. 8 report. The policies include “improving the functions of border trade zones,” a value-added tax exemption and a simplification of the declaration process “for small-scale border trade exports on a trial basis,” the report said. The policies will also support the development of “new models of e-commerce suited to border trade,” HKTDC said.

China’s Foreign Ministry criticized a report released this week by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China that called for U.S. sanctions on Chinese officials, saying the commission has no “objectivity or credibility whatsoever.” The report, issued Jan. 8, also called for greater U.S. export controls on surveillance technologies being sent to China and urged the Trump administration to place more Chinese companies and agencies on the Commerce Department’s Entity List due to their involvement in human rights violations (see 2001080039).

China’s Commerce Ministry recently issued a circular containing 30 policies aiming to improve the trade environment in the Hainan pilot free trade zone, according to a Jan. 8 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The policies will support “construction of ports importing drugs and biological products for the first time,” HKTDC said. They will also improve the shipping sector by allowing foreign ships to be “chartered for temporary transportation under specific conditions,” permitting “international ship management companies to engage in seafarer assignment service,” the report said.

Japan’s export restrictions on South Korea have had a minimal impact on the South Korean industry, a State Department official said during a Jan. 7 press conference. The official said that both Japan and South Korea are participating in “ongoing discussions” about the trade dispute (see 1912160011). “As far as I can tell, the impact, if any, on the South Korean industry has been limited to negligible,” the official said. Japan recently eased export controls against South Korea for one of the three chemicals it had imposed restrictions on, according to a December report from the Associated Press.