South Korea said it has “deep regret” and strongly protests Japan’s decision to remove South Korea from its list of trusted trading partners, which officially took effect Aug. 28. In a statement, South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for “an immediate withdrawal” of the export restrictions, which it said were a “clear retaliatory trade measure.”

Indonesia and Mozambique signed a preferential trade agreement Aug. 27 that will cut tariffs on trade in some products between the two countries, according to a report from the Mozambique News Agency. Under the deal, Mozambique will lower tariffs on 217 tariff lines covering fishery products, fruits, palm oil, margarine, rubber, soap, paper products, and textile products, according to a report in the Indonesian news magazine Tempo. Indonesia will cut tariffs for Mozambique on 242 tariff lines covering products including cotton, tobacco and nuts, Reuters said.

China’s Qingdao customs center officially began a "demonstration" to test its “intelligent gate,” which allows for faster clearance of cargo, China’s General Administration of Customs said in an Aug. 28 press release, according to an unofficial translation. The first test of the new system was on Aug. 22 with a container truck rolling through the gate of the customs facility and into an adjacent "logistics park." The gate “automatically” obtains vehicle information and container number from cargo entering through the gate and identifies the goods being transported, China said. China said the gates will reduce “logistics and transportation” costs for companies.

China will soon begin accepting a second round of applications for exemptions from its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, according to an Aug. 28 report from Xinhua, China’s state run news agency. The exemptions are for the tariffs on $60 billion in U.S. goods that China imposed Sept. 24, 2018. Companies can begin filing online applications for the exclusion process between Sept. 2 and Oct. 18, the report said. Xinhua said the China State Council’s Customs Tariff Commission will “offer temporary tariff exemptions or refunds of added duties” based on the applications. China also plans to launch an exclusion process for the most recent round of retaliatory tariffs on $75 billion worth of U.S. goods announced Aug. 23 (see 1908230004).

Japan issued statements clarifying its position under its new export restrictions against South Korea, saying certain export conditions will be tightened but others will not be impacted. The measures, which took effect Aug. 28, place restrictions on chemicals -- and other goods -- used to make computer chips and other high-tech products (see 1908020023).

Vietnam proposed a move to exempt import duties on car parts intended for the “assembly/manufacture of green/alternative fuel vehicles,” according to an Aug. 27 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The exemption would apply to parts imported before 2024, the report said.

Taiwan “rejected or destroyed” 23 shipments of U.S. agricultural products during the first half of 2019 due to chemical residues and food additives, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service said in a report released Aug. 23. The USDA said 15 of the 23 rejections contained “pesticide residues,” such as “fluopyram on fresh broccoli and fruit powder.” Food additives were the second largest reason for violations, USDA said, and included issues such as “benzoic acid on collagen powder and vitamin drinks.” USDA said the violations “continue to pose a challenge to U.S. agricultural exports and exporters should be vigilant in the face of strict Taiwan adherence to food safety regulations.”

Taiwan is tightening labeling requirements for imported chicken products to urge “retail outlets” to label slaughter and production dates on all imports, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report released Aug. 23. Taiwan’s Food And Drug Administration urged companies to comply with the change in a recommendation published Aug. 13, USDA said. Taiwan plans to first impose a “trial program requesting voluntary labeling on all poultry meat and products sold at convenience stores, supermarkets, and hypermarkets” before the measures are officially imposed, the report said. USDA said the country did not release a date for when the trial would begin, but said it would impact about 10 percent of the country’s U.S. chicken imports.

Singapore's and Thailand’s customs mutual recognition agreement will take effect Sept. 1, allowing for a more efficient exporting process and faster customs clearance for authorized economic operators in the two countries, Singapore said in an Aug. 26 notice. Qualifying companies “can now look forward to facilitated clearance for their goods” when the two countries trade, the notice said. The agreement covers companies certified under Singapore Customs’ Secure Trade Partnership-Plus program and Thailand’s Authorized Economic Operator program.

China is renewing a customs agreement that allows Hong Kong traders to transship cargo from Hong Kong to mainland China under reduced tariffs, according to an Aug. 21 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The agreement allows for reduced tariffs for cargo from China’s list of “Least Developed Countries,” which includes mainly African nations, including Angola, Ethiopia, Uganda and more, the report said. The agreement allows Hong Kong traders to apply for “Certificates of Non-manipulation,” which make cargo eligible for “preferential tariffs,” the HKTDC said. The agreement was originally set to end on Aug. 1.