Japan: Chemical Substances Control Law Amended
(Sept. 6, 2017) Japan’s Chemical Substances Control Law (CSCL) aims to prevent environmental pollution caused by chemical substances that pose a risk to human health and interfere with the habitat and...
View ArticleJapan: Basel Act Amended
(Sept. 12, 2017) The Act on Control of Export, Import, etc. of Specified Hazardous Wastes and Other Wastes (Basel Convention Act, Act No. 108 of 1992, E-GOV (in Japanese) is a Japanese domestic law...
View ArticleMexico: Bilateral Accords Signed with the United States
(Mar. 29, 2018) Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Luís Videgaray, and US Secretary of Homeland Security, Kerstjen Nielsen, witnessed the signing of three instruments of bilateral cooperation on...
View ArticleJapan: Act on Promotion of Exports of Agricultural, Forestry, Fishery and...
(Dec. 16, 2019) The Diet, Japan’s parliament, enacted the Act on Promotion of Exports of Agricultural, Forestry and Fishery Products, and Food (Food Exports Promotion Act, Act No. 57 of 2019 (Reiwa 1))...
View ArticleJapan: Fertilizer Regulation Act Amended
(Dec. 30, 2019) The Diet (Japan’s parliament) has enacted the Act to Amend the Fertilizer Regulation Act. The Act was published in the Official Gazette on December 4, 2019 (Act No. 62 of 2019 (Reiwa...
View ArticleNew Zealand; Singapore: New Declaration on Trade in Essential Goods for...
(Apr. 17, 2020) On April 15, 2020, the governments of New Zealand and Singapore “launched a new trade initiative to ensure supply chain connectivity and the removal of blockages to trade in a list of...
View ArticleChina: New Medical Supplies Export-Control Measures Issued
(May 13, 2020) On April 25, 2020, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), the General Administration of Customs (Customs), and the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) jointly issued the...
View ArticleTaiwan: Government Lifts Mask Export Ban and Loosens COVID-19 Restrictions
(June 26, 2020) On May 29, 2020, Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) announced that the ban on exporting masks made in Taiwan would be lifted effective June 1, 2020. The restriction that...
View ArticleEngland: Equine Microchip Law to Enter into Force
(Aug. 7, 2020) On October 1, 2020, regulations requiring all equines in England to be microchipped will enter into force in the country. The new regulations, the Equine Identification (England)...
View ArticleUnited Arab Emirates: New Decree-Law Abolishes Law on Boycott of Israel
(Sept. 9, 2020) On August 29, 2020, the president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, issued Federal Decree-Law No. 4 of 2020, abolishing Federal Law No. 15 of 1972...
View ArticleChina: Government Releases Provisions on Unreliable Entity List Regime
(Oct. 9, 2020) On September 19, 2020, upon approval of the State Council, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) released the Provisions on the Unreliable Entity List (English translation prepared by...
View ArticleUnited Kingdom: Export of King George III Watch Temporarily Banned in Hopes...
(Feb. 26, 2021) On January 29, 2021, Minister for Digital and Culture Caroline Dinenage, upon the advice of the Reviewing Committee of the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest...
View ArticleGreat Britain: New Regulations Aim to Prevent Plant Bacteria Xyella from...
(Mar. 9, 2021) Amidst a backdrop of outbreaks in continental Europe of Xyella fastidiosa (Xyella), a bacterium that causes plant diseases, Great Britain has introduced the Official Controls and...
View ArticleChina: Single-Use Plastic Straw and Bag Ban Takes Effect
(Mar. 23, 2021) On January 1, 2021, a plastic ban took effect in China that prohibits restaurants throughout the country from providing single-use plastic straws and stores in the major cities from...
View ArticleEuropean Union: Commission Amends Authorization Mechanism for Exports of...
(Apr. 1, 2021) On March 26, 2021, the European Commission’s Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/521, which amends the authorization mechanism for exports of COVID-19 vaccines adopted on January 30, 2021,...
View ArticleSudan: Cabinet and Ruling Sovereign Council Pass New Law Repealing Israel...
(May 7, 2021) On April 19, 2021, the Sudanese Cabinet and the Sovereign Ruling Council in a joint session approved a draft law to repeal the Israel Boycott Act of 1958. Because Sudan currently has no...
View ArticleAngola: Import Tariffs on Essential Goods Suspended
On September 15, 2021, Provisional Presidential Legislative Decree No. 1/21, suspending import taxes and tariffs on certain goods defined as essential and broadly consumed, entered into effect in...
View ArticleEuropean Union: Commission Proposes EU Chips Act to Achieve More Resilient...
On February 8, 2022, the European Commission published a proposal for a regulation establishing a framework of measures to strengthen Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem. The regulation, known as the...
View ArticleUnited States: Legislation Enacted Suspending Permanent and Normal Trade...
On April 8, 2022, President Joe Biden signed into law H.R. 7108, legislation that suspends normal trade relations with the Russian Federation and Belarus. This change in trade status is among the...
View ArticleUnited States: Federal Government Waives Jones Act Shipping Requirements in...
On September 28, 2022, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas approved a temporary and targeted Jones Act waiver to address Puerto Rico’s needs in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona. The...
View ArticleInternational: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of...
On November 25, 2022, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) adopted proposals to increase protections for 54 species of sharks in the requiem...
View ArticleEgypt: New Law Allows Egyptian Expats to Import Personal Cars with No Customs...
On October 27, 2022, Egyptian President Abu al-Fatah al-Sisi ratified Law No. 161 of 2022 regulating the import of personal vehicles by Egyptian expats. The new law, which is the first of its kind in...
View ArticleUnited Kingdom: Electronic Trade Documents Bill Introduced in House of Lords
The Electronic Trade Documents bill was introduced in the United Kingdom’s (U.K.’s) House of Lords on October 12, 2022. If enacted, the bill would provide digital trade documents with the same legal...
View ArticleUnited States: Appeals Court Affirms District Court Ruling That Warrantless...
On January 9, 2023, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit issued an opinion in United States v. Qin that affirmed Qin’s federal convictions for conspiracy to commit export...
View ArticleUnited Kingdom: Windsor Framework to Replace Northern Ireland Protocol
On February 27, 2023, the government of the United Kingdom (U.K.) announced that the European Union (EU) and the U.K. have agreed in principle to the “Windsor Framework” to help resolve issues that...
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