Hong Kong has suspended imports of U.S. romaine lettuce in any form from Salinas, California, effective Nov. 23, according to a Nov. 25 U.S Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report. The ban arose from a “possible contamination” of romaine lettuce from California with E.coli, USDA said. Hong Kong previously banned romaine imports from Arizona and California, and lifted a ban on lettuce from Arizona in March stemming from an E. coli outbreak in 2018 (see 1903060032).

Vietnam plans to import more pork to meet domestic demand due to African swine fever affecting local supply, according to a Nov. 27 report from Customs News, the mouthpiece for Vietnam Customs. The country is short about 200,000 tons of pork, the report said, and it expects the imports to be expensive. A Vietnam official said due to “high” pork prices around the world, it won’t “necessarily be cheap,” according to the report. The official also said the country has no import quotas for pork.

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is launching an anti-counterfeiting campaign to combat an increased number of counterfeit imports, particularly through goods bought online, the agency said in a Nov. 25 press release. The agency is encouraging both buyers and sellers to research their products before importing or exporting. The campaign is a collaboration with Japan’s Intellectual Property Policy Headquarters and its Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, customs agency and others, including the National Police Agency. “Always do research and use your Good Judgment!!” kicks off Dec. 2.

China signed a customs agreement with Seychelles and one with Ethiopia and discussed increasing trade with South Africa during a recent trip to the continent, China’s General Administration of Customs said in a Nov. 21 press release, according to an unofficial translation. China’s agreement with Seychelles includes a “protocol on inspection and quarantine” for marine products exported to China, which “greatly expands the export” of those products to China, the agency said. The two countries also agreed to measures related to anti-smuggling enforcement and measures to promote “trade relations.” China also met with South Africa’s trade minister and agriculture minister, where the two sides discussed plans to increase Chinese citrus and “cooked poultry meat” to South Africa and increase South African exports of beef, pears, avocados and dairy products.

Indonesia and South Korea are drawing closer to signing an economic partnership agreement that will grant Indonesia better market access for its industrial, fishery and agricultural exports to South Korea, Indonesia’s Ministry of Trade said in a release Nov. 26, according to an unofficial translation. Negotiations were completed in October on the deal, which will also grant South Korea market access to the Indonesian “raw materials” sector, the agency said. The two countries signed a “Joint Declaration on Completion of the Indonesia-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement” on Nov. 25, saying they are now “one step closer” to ratifying the deal.

The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China on Nov. 22 released its Nanjing Position Paper for 2019-2020, laying out concerns and recommendations of Chamber members doing business in the region, which it says has a particularly high exposure to the U.S.-China trade war. The paper aims to improve conditions for traders and small and medium-sized businesses operating with Nanjing. The paper said that companies operating in and with Nanjing “suffered some of the greatest exposure to the negative effects of the US-China trade war.”

Singapore Customs is urging traders to update their primary contact, secondary contact and “Trade Notification Contact” details in their “Customs Account,” the agency said in a Nov. 25 notice. In addition, Singapore will “terminate” certain inactive accounts after March 1, 2020, for “security reasons,” the agency said. If a company registered with Singapore Customs “does not have any import, export or tran[s]shipment activities” within the last five years and “does not have any existing registration(s) with Customs,” such as a “Declaring Agent (DA), Claimant, Cargo Agent Import Authorisation (CAIA), manifest submission, licensed premises” or manufacturer registration, the company’s account will be terminated, Singapore said.

Singapore Customs’ TradeNet will undergo system maintenance from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 8, Singapore said in a Nov. 21 notice. The agency is advising users to avoid submitting applications during this time. This schedule includes extended down time beyond the normal system maintenance that ordinarily ends at 8 a.m. on Sundays.

China and Cambodia will begin trade negotiations on Dec. 3 in Beijing, according to a Nov. 22 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The deal is expected to “extend beyond the benefits” in the countries’ existing trade agreement and to feature new preferential benefits associated with agricultural exports, the report said. The deal is also expected to provide an extra “boost” to companies looking to relocate production lines to Cambodia amid the U.S.-China trade war, HKTDC said.

China and Israel made “positive progress” during its seventh round of trade negotiations this week, China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a Nov. 21 press release, according to an unofficial translation. The two sides discussed issues surrounding rules of origin, customs procedures, trade facilitation, phytosanitary measures, intellectual property rights and more.