Australia issues final import requirements for shrimp and shrimp products intended for human consumption

The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has published Circular 2023-A10 on its website, announcing final import requirements for shrimp and shrimp products intended for human consumption。The main contents are:

All imported prawns and prawn products must be frozen;

All imported cooked shrimp and shrimp products must be frozen, and the minimum core temperature of the product during the cooking process should reach 65 ° C;

Only countries or territories that have been officially assessed by Australia to be free of 10 pathogens, including decapod iridovirus, are allowed to export whole uncooked (frozen) shrimp to Australia。

This requirement will be implemented from October 30, 2023, when the new health certificate for imported shrimp and shrimp products will be introduced simultaneously。

(Source: Xiamen Technical Trade Measures Information Network)

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade of India has amended the import regulations for products with Customs code 8471

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has recently revised the import regulations for laptops, tablets, Computers and servers (HSN 8471)。Import licenses are required for the above products from 1 November 2023, except in the following cases:

(1) Laptops, tablets, computers or superminicomputers purchased from e-commerce platforms and sent by post or Courier in quantities of one may not require a license, but are subject to customs duties。

(2) In the absence of a license, a maximum of 20 pieces of such products can be imported per lot, and can only be used for research and development, testing, maintenance and other purposes。However, it must be destroyed or re-exported after completing its purpose。

(3) Products returned from abroad after repair do not require an import license。

(4) Products for local production purposes in India, etc., do not require an import license。

(Source: Manrui Test)

Sri Lanka will apply to join the RCEP

Sri Lanka's Presidential press Office recently reported that President Wickremesinghe said at the 56th anniversary of the founding of ASEAN held at the Indonesian Embassy in Sri Lanka on the 8th that Sri Lanka has reached an important trade agreement with Singapore and is actively negotiating with Thailand。Sri Lanka has applied to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a huge free-trade area comprising major economies such as China, Japan and South Korea with huge potential。Given the rapid development of the region, Sri Lanka's economic focus should now shift to East Asia。

He also said he shares ASEAN's vision for the future of the Indo-Pacific region and pledged to fully support the strategic vision。

(Source: Economic and Commercial Section, Embassy of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka)

The EU food contact plastics regulation has been upgraded, and the authorization list has welcomed new members

The European Commission has published Act (EU) 2023/1627 amending the EU Regulation on Plastics in Contact with Food (EU No 10/2011)，The list of authorized substances in Annex I to (EU) 10/2011 has been updated，Added diethylhexyl cyclohexane dicarboxylate (DEHCH)，The details are shown in the following table:

Revision background

December 11, 2019，The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued a positive scientific opinion on the substance，The use of diethylhexyl cyclohexane dicarboxylate (DEHCH) as an additive (plasticizer) in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) was evaluated，In contact with water-based, acidic and low-alcohol foods，And in long-term storage at room temperature or lower (refrigerated and frozen) conditions，Its maximum use concentration can reach 25% mass ratio。

In addition, according to the opinion published by EFSA in 2020, the substance does not raise concerns in terms of genotoxicity。No adverse effects were observed in repeated dosing toxicity studies with a maximum tested daily dose of 1000 mg/kg body weight (bw)。However, in view of the uncertainty about the accumulation of the substance in the human body, it is stipulated that the amount of its migration must not exceed 0.05 mg/kg food。

This regulation will come into effect on August 31, 2023。

(Source: Hicko Test)

Vietnam issued regulations on technical safety and quality inspection and certification of imported automobiles

The Vietnamese government recently issued Decree No. 60/2023/ND-CP, which stipulates the inspection and certification of quality, technical safety and environmental protection of imported automobiles and imported parts。

According to the decree, the recalled vehicles include those recalled in accordance with the recall notice issued by the manufacturer and those recalled at the request of the inspection agency。The inspection authority makes a recall request based on the verification results of specific evidence and feedback on vehicle quality, technical safety and environmental protection information。

If a vehicle that has been placed on the market has technical defects and needs to be recalled, the importer shall perform the following duties:

The importer shall, within 5 working days from the date of receiving the notification of recall ordered by the manufacturer or the competent authority, notify the seller to stop selling the defective automobile products with unsolved faults。

Within 10 working days from the date of receipt of the recall notice from the manufacturer or inspection authority，The importer must submit a written report to the inspection authority，The report includes the cause of the defect, remedial measures, the number of recalled vehicles, recall plans and timely and comprehensive release of recall plan information and recalled vehicles list on the importer's and agent's websites。

The decree also clarifies the duties of inspection bodies。

In addition, if the importer can provide evidence that the manufacturer is not cooperating with the implementation of the recall plan, the inspection agency will consider stopping the technical safety, quality and environmental protection inspection and certification procedures for all automotive products of the same manufacturer。

For vehicles that need to be recalled but have not yet been certified by the inspection body, the inspection body should inform the customs at the import declaration place to allow the importer to temporarily take delivery of the goods, so that the importer can take remedial measures on the problem vehicle。After the importer provides a list of cars that have been repaired, the inspection agency continues to handle inspection and certification procedures in accordance with the regulations。

Decree No. 60/2023/ND-CP entered into force on 1 October 2023 and applies to automotive products from 1 August 2025。

(Source: Economic and Commercial Division, Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City)

The Philippines plans to impose zero tariffs on all electric vehicles starting next year

According to the Manila Times in the Philippines，Patrick Aquino, director of the Philippine Department of Energy's Energy Utilization Administration, said recently，A formal proposal has been made to the Tariff Commission (TC) to extend zero tariff coverage to all imported electric vehicles，Includes two - and three-wheeled pure electric vehicles (BEVs), hybrid vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs)，To achieve the goals of the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act。

At present, the zero tariff policy of imported cars in the Philippines only covers pure electric vehicles。

(Source: Economic and Commercial Section, Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines)