Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has halted its work on advanced silicon for a Chinese technology startup to make sure it’s complying with new U.S. export controls (see 2210070049), Bloomberg reported Oct. 22. The Taiwanese chipmaker suspended production for Biren, one of China’s “most promising semiconductor designers,” until it can determine whether Biren’s products are covered by the U.S.’s new advanced chip restrictions, the report said. It said TSMC halted production after coming across public information that Biren’s products outperform Nvidia’s A100 chips, which are captured under the U.S. controls. TSMC didn’t comment.

The Singapore Customs TradeNet will undergo system maintenance Nov. 6 and Nov. 13 from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time, it said Oct. 21. Singapore Customs advises users to avoid submitting applications during this time. This is in addition to the usual 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. Sunday maintenance.

Singapore's minister for finance announced that Goods and Services Tax will apply to imports of low-value goods for business-to-consumer transactions by extending the Overseas Vendor Registration regime starting Jan. 1, Singapore Customs said Oct. 21. Under the extended regime, Singapore defines low-value goods as items that are not dutiable, not exempt from GST, located outside Singapore, are to be delivered via air or post, and have a value not exceeding the import relief threshold of around $280. The OVR vendor will need to collect GST at the point of sale and pass the information "down the logistics chain" for the relevant GST information to be made available for the import permit application, Singapore Customs said. The customs agency also outlined the procedures for importing low-value goods via air.

Australia this week renewed its “punitive” tariffs on certain Russian and Belarusian goods to further penalize Russia for its war on Ukraine (see 2203310012). The measure, which will now remain in effect until October 2023, imposes an additional 35% tariff on imports from Russia and Belarus. Australia will also reject any requests for loans or other finance that support trade with or investment in Russia or Belarus. Energy imports from Russia are already prohibited, the country noted.

Sanctioned Myanmar businessman Tay Za has for years set up shop in Singapore, where he's found shelter from U.S. sanctions, but those days may be coming to an end, Bloomberg reported. Tay Za was accused of supplying arms and equipment to the Myanmar military. Despite this, he upheld the right to live and work in Singapore despite the sanctions first imposed in 2007 and incorporated around 10 companies in Singapore operating in palm oil, teak and aviation. Most countries in Asia do not support these sanctions, though this position is becoming harder to uphold while the U.S. increases pressure on Myanmar's ruling junta and global financial regulators discuss the prospect of blacklisting the country, Bloomberg said. Signs are starting to appear that show Singapore is moving away from its practice of not interfering with its neighbors' business, criticizing the junta's regime, asking banks to increase their scrutiny of financial flows to Myanmar, and not allowing the transfer of any items that could be used to inflict violence against unarmed civilians, though Tay Za and others continue to operate in Singapore, Bloomberg said. Tay Za continues to deny he supplies arms to the military.

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology held emergency meetings this week with the country’s leading semiconductor firms to assess the impact of new U.S. chip restrictions, Bloomberg reported Oct. 19. Chinese officials stressed to executives from Yangtze Memory Technologies Co., supercomputer company Dawning Information Industry and others that the domestic market would provide enough demand to make up for any lost sales caused by the U.S. export restrictions, the report said. But the government officials also “appeared uncertain about the way forward and at times appeared to have as many questions as answers for the chipmakers.” During the meeting, YMTC warned the government that “its future may be in jeopardy,” the report said.

Stellantis may stop making cars in China, given rising geopolitical tensions and sanctions worries. Speaking to reporters at a Paris car show Oct. 17, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said the automaker may roll out an "asset-light" strategy for its Peugeot and Citroen brands, importing to China cars made in Europe and the U.S., Bloomberg reported. Tavares' comments come after the company shuttered its only Jeep factory in China due to local political interference in the market (see 2207280018). Other car manufacturers, including Volkswagen and General Motors, are further expressing concerns over the Chinese market, wondering whether the sanctions hitting Russia could apply to China if it were to invade Taiwan, Bloomberg said.

China imposed quarantine and sanitation requirements on imports of edible aquatic animals from Papua New Guinea, the General Administration of Customs said in an Oct. 13 notice, according to an unofficial translation. The requirements apply to crustaceans, fish and mollusks native to Papua New Guinea, fished from waters independently managed by Papua New Guinea and shipped to China for consumption. Exempted are the "Endangered Wildlife" species listed in the appendix of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Exports of these goods to China must be approved and supervised by Papua New Guinea's Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources and comply with the relevant aquatic animal quarantine and safety hygiene requirements of China and Papua New Guinea, China Customs said.

Australia and South Korea held their first trade ministers meeting under the two countries’ Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Oct. 13, discussing increasing trade and technology collaboration. The two sides said they hope to make progress on “securing critical minerals supply chains, expanding high-quality agricultural exports, and collaborating in new fields like biotechnology, artificial intelligence and robotics,” Australia said in a news release. Australia also “reaffirmed” its commitment to remain a “stable, secure, and reliable supplier of energy” to South Korea.

The Hong Kong Trade and Industry Department Oct. 14 issued the latest version of signatures of agency officers authorized to sign and issue Delivery Verification Certificates, and import and export licenses covering strategic commodities.