Bangladesh will soon require submission of the Import General Manifest (IGM) before a Bangladesh-bound vessel’s “departure from last port of call,” according to a June 24 alert from Hapag-Lloyd. If the documentation is not complete, containers cannot be loaded on the vessel, the alert said. "It will be mandatory to complete the documentation process incorporating mandatory elements prior submission of IGM. For incomplete documentation, container(s) cannot be loaded on Bangladesh bound vessel departing from last port of call," Hapag-Lloyd said. "Hapag-Lloyd will file IGM 48 hours prior vessel departure from last port of call and forwarders should file 24 hours prior if House BL is relevant." The change, announced by Bangladesh in an April 3 circular, will take effect July 1.

South Korea is set to make changes to its wood products standards, according to a recently filed notification to the World Trade Organization. The revised standards would apply to 12 types of wood products: sawn timber, preservative-treated wood, fire retardant-treated wood, glued laminated timber, plywood, particleboards, fiberboards, oriented strand board, wood flooring, wood briquettes, wood charcoal briquette, charcoal. South Korea expects they will enter into force Sept. 1, 2019.

Singapore issued a “best practices” list to ensure companies are not being “exploited for illicit activities,” specifically related to smuggling exports of liquor and tobacco products, Singapore Customs said in a June 17 notice. Singapore issued the notice after noticing “irregularities” certain exports where goods were declared “to be destined for one country but were subsequently found to be meant for shipment to another country,” the notice said. In other cases, “liquor and tobacco products were described as some other items in the bill of lading,” Singapore said, leaving the country to believe the goods were “meant for smuggling into another country.”

A spokeswoman for China’s National Development and Reform Commission on June 17 gave the clearest indication yet that China may seek to impose restrictions on rare earths exports to retaliate for U.S. tariffs. In response to a question during a regularly scheduled press conference on potential export restrictions, the spokeswoman said China is “resolutely opposed” to “anyone who attempts to use China’s rare earth resources to manufacture products” that are used to “contain and suppress China’s development,” according to an unofficial translation. The spokeswoman also mentioned the possibility of export controls and traceability requirements for Chinese rare earths.

Japan’s Center for Information on Security Trade Control (CISTEC) has added Huawei to its Chaser List of sanctioned companies, according to a recent report from Nikkei. The non-profit’s list is not binding, but it is used by Japanese exporters to avoid potential pitfalls, so Huawei’s listing could cause Japanese companies to scale back business with Huawei, the report said. The inclusion was likely automatic after Huawei’s addition to the U.S. Entity List, it said. The Chaser List includes companies sanctioned by the U.S., the European Union and the United Nations, among others.

Vietnam is cracking down on transshipment schemes that falsely claim Vietnamese country of origin to avoid high tariffs on Chinese goods, according to a June 13 report in CustomsNews. Vietnam Customs has discovered dozens of certificate of origin violations so far, particularly in the textiles and apparel, seafood, agricultural, steel, aluminum and timber sectors, the report said.

Myanmar issued a notice June 6 that it will now allow foreign and joint venture companies to export certain foods and commodities, according to a report in the Yangon-based Myanmar Times. “Foreign companies with recommendations from relevant ministries [that] can buy the commodities from local producers will be issued licenses to export the goods,” the report said. Items authorized for export include rice, meat and fish, value-added crops, pulp and paper, seeds, refined metals, semi-finished or finished fruit products and wood-based furniture, the report said. “Notably, foreign companies in Myanmar will be allowed to export value-added rice and broken rice as well as beans, pulses and corn,” it said.

India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade is raising minimum prices for imports of broken and whole cashews, it said in a notification issued June 12. For broken cashews of Indian tariff subheading 08013210, imports won’t be allowed if the CIF value is less than 680 rupees ($9.78) per kilogram, and for whole cashews of subheading 08013220, imports are prohibited unless the CIF value is above 720 rupees ($10.35) per kilogram, the notification said. Indian cashew growers said the move would put a stop to “dumping of cheap of low-quality nuts” from Africa and Southeast Asia, according to a report in The Hindu Business Line.

The China Cotton Association will request an exclusion for uncombed cotton from Chinese retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, according to a report from Reuters. The trade group published a notice on its website June 13 asking for information from its members on their cotton imports and the impacts on their businesses, which will be used in the submission to the Chinese Ministry of Finance. The period to request exclusions from China’s retaliatory tariffs ends July 5 (see 1905290034).

Vietnam Customs recently issued a deployment plan for its commitments under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), according to a June 12 report on Vietnam Customs' CustomsNews website. Under the plan, Vietnam Customs will develop a circular guiding implementation of CPTPP provisions on inspection and determination of country of origin for imported and exported goods, and with the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade will develop a decree on verification of country of origin of imported goods, customs cooperation and preferential tariff rates, according to an unofficial translation of a Vietnam Customs press release. CPTPP entered into force Dec. 30, 2018, for the first six countries to ratify the agreement -- Canada, Australia, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand and Singapore – and entered into force Jan. 14, 2019, for Vietnam.