China’s commerce ministry this week declined to confirm reports that it’s considering new import tariffs on European and American vehicles (see 2405220042) and instead continued to criticize U.S. and EU measures against Chinese electric cars.

China may consider raising import tariffs on cars from the EU, the U.S. and possibly elsewhere, the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU said this week.

China has sanctioned Mike Gallagher, former Republican member of Congress from Wisconsin and former chair of the House Select Committee on China, the country’s Foreign Ministry announced May 21, according to an unofficial translation. The ministry said Gallagher has “frequently used words and deeds that interfere in China's internal affairs, undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and infringe on China's interests.” China said the sanctions will freeze Gallagher’s assets in the country, ban Chinese companies from doing business with Gallagher, and block him from entering the country.

China added three U.S. defense companies, including a business unit of Boeing, to its Unreliable Entity List for arms sales to Taiwan, the country’s Ministry of Commerce announced May 20. The agency said it added Boeing’s Defense, Space & Security unit, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, and General Dynamics Land Systems to the list, prohibiting them from participating in “import and export activities related to China” and subjecting them to other restrictions, according to an unofficial translation.

China this week launched an antidumping duty probe on imports of polyoxymethylene copolymers, an industrial plastic, from the U.S., the EU, Japan and Taiwan, the country’s Ministry of Commerce said, according to an unofficial translation. China said the plastic has "high mechanical strength” and can “partially replace metal materials such as copper, zinc, tin, and lead,” including in auto parts and industrial machinery. The ministry is accepting public comments on the scope of the probe within 20 days and is expecting to complete the investigation within one year, although it can extend that timeline by six months.

Australia last week sanctioned six entities that it said have ties to North Korea’s supply of weapons and military items to Russia. “Australia condemns, in the strongest possible terms, North Korea’s illegal export and Russia’s procurement and use of North Korean ballistic missiles, in support of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine,” the country said in a May 17 notice. The notice didn’t list the designated entities.

A new report from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service said there are many rising opportunities for American agricultural exports to Vietnam and Thailand, citing increasing demand for U.S. “consumer oriented products.” The agency said “robust opportunities exist” for exports to Vietnam, among them “bulk commodities related to feed and manufacturing,” including cotton, soybeans and grains. USDA also said beef, dairy, fruit and wine exports to Thailand have strong “growth potential.” Both countries have “growing consumer preference for U.S. branded products and exporters of U.S. agricultural products are sure to find exciting prospects in these markets,” USDA said.

China again extended its Section 301 retaliatory tariff exclusion period for sorbitol and other non-U.S. agricultural goods, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said in a May report. The exclusion period was scheduled to expire April 30 but now will remain in effect until Nov. 30. USDA said this is the seventh time China has extended the exclusion period for sorbitol, adding that the U.S. was the third-largest supplier of sorbitol to China in 2023, with Chinese imports reaching $1.2 million.

China recently updated the list of products whose foreign production facilities are required to register under Decree 248, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said in a report this month. China removed from the list two products and added 14 products, impacting certain aquatic products, edible vegetable oils, frozen fruits and special medical use formula. It said: "Some of the updates are not complete removals of the products but additions of the same products with different Customs, Inspection, and Quarantine (CIQ) codes created for China Customs’ use."

China on May 7 voiced its opposition to the U.S. reportedly revoking the export licenses that Intel and Qualcomm use to sell certain semiconductors to Huawei (see 2405070081). The Ministry of Commerce said the move violates World Trade Organization commitments, according to an unofficial translation.