China’s Commerce Ministry released information about the State Council’s efforts to establish a “comprehensive cross-border e-commerce pilot zone” in 24 cities, according to an unofficial translation of a Dec. 27 notice. The ministry said the zones will “promote international trade liberalization,” “promote the healthy development of cross-border e-commerce across the country” and will feature value-added taxes on e-commerce retail exports and certain tax exemptions.

China’s plans to reduce import tariffs on more than 850 products (see 1912230051) is a response to the “weakest” expansion rate of the country’s economy in 30 years, according to a Dec. 27 post from Dezan Shira & Associates. The announcement was welcome news to Chinese companies, consumers and foreign exporters, who will be able to more easily ship a range of consumer goods to China, the post said. The announcement also pointed to further tariff-rate reductions with several of China's free-trade partners, including New Zealand, Switzerland, Singapore, Australia, South Korea and others. The tariff reductions were mainly a strategic move, the post said, and aimed to “fill the gap” in China’s domestic production to help its manufacturing industry. The post also contains a partial list of imported goods impacted by the new tariff rates.

China is planning to roll out more trade-related measures to improve its comprehensive bonded zones and customs, its Economic and Commercial Counsellor's Office at the Chinese Embassy in South Africa said Dec. 27, according to an English version of the release. China said it is “studying bonded policies covering the full industrial chain” to form new “competitive” business advantages, and will focus on its comprehensive bonded zones and “optimize the regulation of the express delivery industry.” China also plans to improve the efficiency of customs clearance and “cut related fees” to “develop a more open economy.”

Japan’s foreign minister touted the U.S.-Japan trade deal (see 1912040008) as one of the main successes of 2019 in his year-end remarks, saying the negotiations were “extremely difficult” and the deal’s implications were “deep,” according to an unofficial translation of a transcript. “This significance is so great,” the minister said during a Dec. 27 press conference. The minister said Japan plans to “build” on the agreement in 2020 and “stably develop Japan-U.S. economic relations, one of the important pillars of the Japan-U.S. alliance.” Trade groups have urged both countries to continue negotiating toward a more comprehensive deal (see 1912050058).

New tariff rates between China and Pakistan will take effect Jan. 1, 2020, as part of the two countries’ recently signed free trade agreement, China’s Commerce Ministry said in a Dec. 24 press release, according to an unofficial translation. As part of the agreement, China and Pakistan will “gradually increase” the elimination of tariffs, going from waivers on 35 percent of tariff lines to 75 percent, China said. The countries will also implement a 20 percent tariff reduction “on other products that account for 5% of their respective tax items,” China said.

The National People's Congress Standing Committee of China will consider a draft law on export controls, Xinhua reported on Dec. 24. The draft would add new limits on “the export of special items including nuclear and biological materials as well as weapons, aiming to fulfill the country's international obligations of non-proliferation and protect the nation's security and development interests,” the state-run news outlet said. The law would also require “the supervision of the entire export process including transit and transshipment as well as re-export,” according to the report.

China will continue to take steps to expand imports, including further reducing tariffs, the China Ministry of Commerce said during a Dec. 26 press conference. “Expanding imports is one of the important connotations of promoting the high-quality development of trade,” a ministry spokesman said, according to an unofficial translation. “The reduction of import tariffs will help to form a new pattern of balanced, coordinated and sustainable trade development, and will promote the coordinated development of trade and industry. We will continue to take active measures to promote the orderly and free flow of international and domestic factors, the efficient allocation of resources, and the deep integration of domestic and foreign markets.” China recently said it would reduce tariffs on more than 850 items in 2020 (see 1912230051).

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India recently published a notification on revised standards for milk and milk products, potentially impacting imports, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report released Dec. 26. The revised standards are scheduled to take effect July 1, 2020, USDA said. The changes revise several standards, including the total sodium content allowed in goat or sheep milk products and packaging methods for low fat milk products.

Singapore Customs is “decommissioning” its Singapore Customs Academy website now that customs courses will be provided by two of the country’s technology schools (see 1911290011), the agency said in a Dec. 23 press release. The website will be decommissioned Dec. 30, and the academy's existing suite of courses will transfer to the schools for participants to register for instruction on those schools' websites.

Indonesia aims to export between 100,000 and 500,000 metric tons of “premium” rice in 2020, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report released Dec. 23. Indonesia had been a net importer of rice in recent years, USDA said, due to local supplies struggling to meet demand. USDA said it “remains unclear” how the country will meet the proposed export volumes and how it will compete with less expensive rice from Thailand and Vietnam. The country’s media outlets reported the “main destination” for the exports may be Saudi Arabia, as Indonesians prepare for pilgrimages to Mecca in 2020, the report said.