On 18 November, the General Administration of Customs announced that it will carry out random inspections of some import and export commodities not listed in the catalogue of commodities subject to statutory inspection. The objective is to protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers and safeguard health and safety. Import commodities that will be subject to inspections include stationery for students, baby products and electronic products. Export commodities include children’s toys.

The European Commission has recently announced that a formal investigation has been initiated into potential abusive practices of U.S.-based producer Corning. The alleged practices involve clauses of agreements between Corning and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and contracts concluded between the producer and finishers, which process raw glass. In response, Corning has put forward a number of commitments to which the Commission may adopt a decision that legally binds Corning. On 25 November 2024, the Commission offered an invitation to interested parties to comment on Corning’s offered commitments.

The electronics industry provides the most significant revenue stream of all Hong Kong’s merchandise exports, and as such is of critical importance to the city. The good news for Hong Kong is that electronics orders are expected to remain firm through next year - a view acknowledged by many of the participants in the Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Autumn 2024) survey. 1,089 industry players took part in the survey. Nearly 40% expected sales to grow in the short term (the next six to 12 months), while more than half expressed the same sentiment with regard to the medium term (the next 12-24 months).

The Bangladeshi government has announced that renewable energy projects in the country will get a 10-year tax exemption. The National Board of Revenue (NBR) issued a notification on 29 October 2024 granting renewable energy projects 100% tax exemption for the first five years, 50% for the next three, and 25% for the following two years. The tax holiday will apply to power plants starting commercial operations between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2030. Eligible plants are those built under the build-own-operate (BOO) model outlined in the Private Sector Power Generation Policy. The plants should meet all policy conditions and be operated according to the policy guidelines.

On 25 October, the Shenzhen Administration for Market Regulation issued new regulations for rapid testing of the quality of portable energy storage products. These regulations apply to any such products in use for production or circulation, and to certain energy storage devices weighing less than 18 kg that can be carried by users. They do not apply, however, to energy storage batteries or photovoltaic energy storage devices. The new regulations also specify related testing methods and assessment criteria.

The U.S. Department of Energy has taken certain regulatory actions in connection with the energy conservation standards and/or test procedures for clothes washers, clothes dryers and dishwashers.

The German government has spoken out against a draft Commission Delegated Regulation establishing the methodology for calculating the carbon footprint of electric vehicle (“EV”) batteries under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 (the “EU Batteries Regulation” or “EUBR”). Hong Kong traders selling batteries for electric vehicles to EU customers should be aware that the implementation of the proposed methodology by the European Commission (“Commission”) could negatively affect the import of and demand for batteries produced outside of the EU territory.

The U.S. Department of Energy has taken certain regulatory actions involving clothes dryers, clothes washers, dishwashers, furnaces and furnace fans.

The U.S. Department of Justice reports that it is seeking nearly US$300,000 in import duties and almost US$800,000 in penalties in a civil lawsuit alleging that the former vice president of a U.S. importer made false statements to U.S. officials to avoid paying applicable import tariffs and AD/CV duties.

India has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Singapore to collaborate in semiconductors, Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) announced on 5 September 2024. The India-Singapore Semiconductor Ecosystem Partnership deal will support India’s semiconductor industry plans, while facilitating the entry of Singapore semiconductor firms and supply chains to the Indian market. The agreement will involve government-led policy exchanges on supply chain resilience, ecosystem development and workforce development. The MTI and India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) will support discussions, monitor the implementation of cooperation areas and share best practices.