China lifted its ban on imports of wool and skins of cloven-hoofed animals from South Africa, according to an Aug. 19 announcement from the General Administration of Customs, per an unofficial translation. Chinese Customs banned the imports following an outbreak of hoof-and-mouth disease.

India this month officially published its requirements for certain imported cherries (see 2201180027), which will expand market access for a range of cherry exporters, including from the U.S., the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said in a report this week. The requirements specifically grant expanded market access for cherries from three states in the Northwest U.S.: Idaho, Oregon and Washington. India hasn’t yet notified the requirements, which include quarantine protocols, to the World Trade Organization.

Malaysia will soon impose a 10% tax on certain low-value imported goods sold online, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council reported Aug. 24. The tax, which will take effect next year, will be imposed on online goods priced below $112.52 and imported into Malaysia “by vendors based in or outside the country,” the report said.

India may double its exports of laboratory-made diamonds in the current financial year, the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council's vice chairman, Vipul Shah, said in an interview, Bloomberg reported Aug. 22. Following a drastic uptick in U.S. demand and a more widespread acceptance of lab-made gems in other markets, India -- which cuts or polishes around 90% of the globe's diamonds -- will boost exports of lab-made stones. Shah said exports could grow to $7 billion or $8 billion in the next few years following the growth of U.S., U.K. and Australian demand. In the April-July period this year, exports of polished lab-grown diamonds from India jumped 70% to around $622 million, while exports of mined diamonds fell around 3% to $8.2 billion in the same period, Bloomberg said.

China announced certain steps it will take to optimize its port business environment to promote cross-border trade facilitation for imports and exports subject to quarantine, the General Administration of Customs said Aug. 23, according to an unofficial translation. The steps include dropping the requirement for entry-exit health quarantine and sanitation entities to get approval from customs, giving entry-exit health quarantine and sanitation treatment entities the capability of on-site disinfection, and strengthening the supervision of the on-site operation of entry and exit animal and plant quarantine and pest control.

Vietnam will boost its coal imports from 2025 to 2035 to meet domestic production demand, according to a plan from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the state-run CustomsNews reported Aug. 21. The Southeast Asian nation will bring in 50 to 83 million tonnes of coal per year during this 10-year span, with the volume gradually declining to 32 to 35 million tonnes a year by 2045. Domestic consumption of coal has nearly doubled since 2011, mainly due to electricity production, and the demand is only anticipated to increase, CustomsNews said.

China imported its first batch of avocados from Kenya this month, a move Chinese officials believe is the start of a plan that will significantly increase imports from Africa, the South China Morning Post reported Aug. 21. The Kenyan avocados, which were granted market access by China’s customs agency earlier this year (see 2206030016), will help to “further boost the economic ties between the two countries,” according to a report from Xinhua, a Chinese state-run news agency. A Chinese official said the exports have “huge potential,” the report said. A Kenyan official said the new market access agreement “is a monumental feat that will boost our economy and benefit key players across the avocado value chain including farmers.”

Japan recently rejected South Korea’s request to allow it back on Japan’s white list of trusted trading partners, according to an unofficial translation of an Aug. 21 report from South Korean daily newspaper Munhwa Ilbo. The report, citing an article recently published by Japan’s Sankei Shimbun, said Japan rejected the South Korea request at a foreign ministers meeting held in Cambodia earlier this month.

Taiwan is encouraging exporters to alert its Bureau of Foreign Trade if they encounter certain issues shipping goods to China, the bureau said last week. China’s customs agency has reportedly detained goods originating in Taiwan if the items aren’t labeled as "Made in Taiwan, China,” the foreign trade bureau said. Beijing objects to any insinuation on product labeling that suggests Taiwan is a separate territory and not a part of China (see 2208080026). Taiwan said exporters with detained goods in China should provide the bureau with “relevant information, such as the customs ports, importers, customs brokers, and descriptions of goods.” Then, the Taiwan Customs agency will contact China's Customs to deal with the situation.

China’s General Administration of Customs this week issued phytosanitary requirements for imported fresh pineapples from Indonesia, according to an unofficial translation of a notice. The notice also outlines inspection and quarantine requirements for the imports.