International Trade

Hong Kong Gazettes 2026 Amendment To United Nations Sanctions (Somalia) Regulation 2019

Hong Kong has brought into force a 2026 amendment to its United Nations sanctions regulation on Somalia, updating licensing conditions for weapons-related shipments by Hong Kong-linked vessels. Shipping companies and operators should reassess any arms-related routes or cargoes involving Somalia or designated persons so that controls, licences and screening align with the updated sanctions framework now in effect.

25 May 2026, 15:47mardep.gov.hkHong Kong SAR China

EU Council Extends Iran Sanctions Framework To Target Threats To Freedom Of Navigation

In May 2026 the Council of the European Union extended its Iran sanctions framework so that individuals and entities involved in Iranian actions impeding lawful transit passage and freedom of navigation in the Middle East, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, can be targeted under existing EU restrictive measures. This widens sanctions risk for EU shipping, trade and financial relationships linked to Iranian maritime activities and signals that further targeted designations related to freedom of navigation are likely in the near term.

25 May 2026, 15:47consilium.europa.euEuropean Union

EU Council Adopts Revised GSP Regulation on Trade Preferences for Developing Countries

The Council of the EU has adopted a new Regulation on the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences, tightening conditions and safeguards for tariff preferences granted to vulnerable developing countries, with application from 1 January 2027. This recast locks in the 2027–2036 GSP framework and more clearly links preferential access to performance on human rights, labour, environmental protection and migration cooperation, raising compliance and reputational stakes for EU importers and global suppliers.

25 May 2026, 15:46data.consilium.europa.euEuropean Union

EU Parliament ENVI Tables Amendments 235–425 To CBAM Downstream Goods And Anti‑Circumvention Proposal

In May 2026, MEPs in the European Parliament’s environment committee tabled nearly 200 amendments to the CBAM revision proposal, targeting how downstream steel and aluminium goods are covered and how anti‑circumvention and traceability rules should work in practice. If even partly adopted, these amendments would tighten evidence, sampling and default‑value rules for high‑risk goods and origins, increasing data and verification burdens for EU importers while signalling a Parliament determined to prioritise CBAM’s environmental integrity and enforcement over administrative simplicity.

25 May 2026, 15:46europarl.europa.euEuropean Union

EU Council Suspends Customs Tariffs on Certain Nitrogen Fertilisers for One Year

In May 2026 the EU Council decided to suspend customs tariffs for one year on key nitrogen-based fertilisers used in EU agriculture, subject to a quota and excluding imports from Russia and Belarus. This temporary tariff measure should reduce input costs for farmers and fertiliser producers while signalling a strategic shift in fertiliser sourcing away from Russia and Belarus, with implications for supply chains, pricing, and trade planning.

25 May 2026, 15:44consilium.europa.euEuropean Union

EU Council Adopts Revised Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) Regulation

The EU has adopted a new GSP Regulation that tightens sustainability, human rights and migration conditionality on trade preferences for developing countries, to apply from 1 January 2027 and run until the end of 2036. This raises the risk of preference withdrawal and safeguard action for beneficiary countries and EU traders, requiring early review of sourcing strategies, country risk and tariff exposure under the revised GSP framework.

25 May 2026, 15:44data.consilium.europa.euEuropean Union

Netherlands: Motion Urges Strict Implementation of EU Forced Labour Products Regulation to Address Uyghur Forced Labour

On 21 May 2026, a Dutch MP tabled a motion urging the government to implement the EU Forced Labour Products Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/3015) as strictly and targeted as possible, ahead of its application from December 2027, to combat state-led forced labour of Uyghurs in China. If reflected in implementation measures, this signals tougher Dutch enforcement of the forthcoming EU ban on products made with forced labour and higher expectations on companies’ supply chain due diligence and proof that goods are free from forced labour.

25 May 2026, 15:38zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nlNetherlandsEuropean Union

EU Council Working Party Briefed On EUR 3 Customs Duty For Low-Value E-Commerce Consignments

The EU has abolished duty-free treatment for low-value e-commerce imports and, from 1 July 2026 to 1 July 2028, will apply a flat EUR 3 customs duty per item for consignments up to EUR 150, with Commission services now briefing member states on implementation details and liability under Regulation 2026/382. Cross-border sellers, marketplaces and logistics providers shipping into the EU must update pricing, customs declaration processes and contractual allocations of the new duty ahead of mid-2026 and monitor the 2026–2028 review points in case the supposedly temporary regime is extended.

25 May 2026, 15:27eur-lex.europa.euEuropean Union

US Commerce Finalises Expedited Fourth Sunset Review of Antidumping Order on Certain Crepe Paper Products From China

The US Department of Commerce has issued final results for its expedited fourth five-year review of the antidumping duty order on certain crepe paper products from China, finding that revocation would likely result in renewed dumping at margins up to 266.83 percent. This cements ongoing trade-remedy risk for Chinese crepe paper imports, meaning affected importers and downstream users should plan around continued exposure to significant antidumping duties in their sourcing and pricing strategies.

25 May 2026, 13:57federalregister.govUnited States

US House Health Subcommittee Forwards Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act (H.R. 2715) to Full Committee

In May 2026, the US House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee advanced H.R. 2715 (Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act), forwarding the bill as amended to the full committee. If enacted, this FD&C Act amendment would broaden FDA’s authority to destroy refused imported articles that pose significant public health concerns and criminalise attempts to move such goods back into commerce, raising enforcement and supply-chain risk for importers of non-compliant products.

24 May 2026, 21:26congress.govUnited States

US PFAS Policy Signals – EPA Disposal Guidance Update and USTR Trade Concerns

EPA has issued a 2026 update to its non-binding guidance on destruction and disposal of PFAS wastes while the US Trade Representative's 2026 trade report and recent congressional testimony highlight concerns about foreign PFAS restrictions and ongoing implementation of US PFAS drinking-water standards. These developments signal tightening expectations for how PFAS wastes are managed, a reinforced polluter-pays focus, and potential trade friction with Canada and the EU over class-based PFAS bans that could affect critical clean-energy and high-tech supply chains.

24 May 2026, 21:14epa.govUnited StatesCanadaEuropean Union

US Select Committee Chair Urges Treasury To Treat Biotechnology As Prohibited Outbound Investment Under COINS Act

In May 2026, the chair of the US House Select Committee on China urged the Treasury Secretary to designate biotechnology as a prohibited sector for outbound US investment under the new COINS Act, citing rapid growth in US and multinational licensing and co-development deals with Chinese biotech firms. If Treasury follows this guidance, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies involved in cross-border licensing, co-development or manufacturing partnerships with Chinese counterparts could face significantly tighter outbound investment screening and constraints on capital and know-how flows.

24 May 2026, 21:10files.constantcontact.comUnited States

US Senate Introduces S.4581 To Amend NDAA FY2026 On Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Sanctions

In May 2026, US Senate bill S.4581 was introduced to amend the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 so that certain foreign persons must be placed on the Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies List. If enacted, this would expand US sanctions listing obligations tied to Chinese military-industrial complex entities, increasing securities-trading and counterparty risk oversight for financial institutions and companies with China exposure.

24 May 2026, 21:05congress.govUnited States

EU Council Schedules Adoption Of Regulation Suspending Duties And Opening Tariff Quotas For Certain Fertilisers

In May 2026, the Council of the European Union scheduled adoption of a regulation suspending certain Common Customs Tariff duties and opening autonomous tariff quotas for specified fertilisers. This move is expected to ease short-term fertiliser supply pressures and reshape import economics for affected CN codes, so EU fertiliser producers, traders and large agricultural buyers should anticipate changes in customs costs and quota availability once the final text and annex are published.

23 May 2026, 20:07data.consilium.europa.euEuropean Union

Indonesia Implements Halal Certification Requirements for Medicines and Medical Devices

Indonesia has put in place a halal product assurance framework and specific rules for medicines, biological products, and medical devices, with mandatory halal certification for some medical products beginning to phase in from 2026. Exporters will need to adjust product design, materials, documentation, and quality systems to meet Indonesian halal requirements and track product-specific timelines to avoid disruptions to market access.

23 May 2026, 19:29farmalkes.kemkes.go.idIndonesia

US Commerce Imposes Provisional Antidumping Duties on Chromium Trioxide From India

In May 2026 the US Department of Commerce issued a preliminary affirmative antidumping determination on chromium trioxide imports from India, triggering provisional 12 percent cash deposits and suspension of liquidation from 22 May 2026. Importers and downstream users should expect higher near-term costs and potential supply disruption while monitoring for further duty changes ahead of Commerce’s final decision, due by early October 2026.

23 May 2026, 19:28federalregister.govUnited States

US Commerce Announces Preliminary Antidumping Duty Review Results for Certain Superabsorbent Polymers From Korea

The US Department of Commerce has issued preliminary results of its antidumping duty review of certain superabsorbent polymer imports from Korea, finding a 0.00% dumping margin for LG Chem for the 2023–2024 review period. If this outcome is confirmed in the final decision, LG Chem’s exports could move to a zero cash deposit rate while other suppliers remain at higher all-others rates, so affected importers and producers should review exposure and consider participating in the upcoming comment and hearing deadlines.

23 May 2026, 11:16public-inspection.federalregister.govUnited StatesSouth Korea

US Commerce Issues Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination on Unwrought Palladium From Russia

The United States has issued a final affirmative countervailing duty determination on imports of unwrought palladium from Russia, confirming 109.10 percent subsidy rates and continuing suspension of liquidation and cash deposit requirements as of late May 2026. This points to likely long-term trade restrictions once the ITC rules on injury, so industrial users and traders of palladium should reassess sourcing, pricing, and reliance on Russian-origin supply ahead of that decision.

23 May 2026, 11:16federalregister.govUnited States

US OFAC Designates Iran-Linked Shipping, Petrochemical and Financial Network Under EO 13902

US OFAC has designated Iran-linked shipping, petrochemical and financial actors and associated tankers under E.O. 13902, adding them to the SDN List effective 19 May 2026. This materially heightens sanctions and screening risk for organisations moving crude, LPG, petrochemicals or related finance through the listed companies, vessels and trade hubs in Hong Kong, the UAE and elsewhere.

23 May 2026, 11:15public-inspection.federalregister.govUnited States

US CBP Renews ACE Export Manifest Test for Vessel Cargo

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has renewed its voluntary ACE Export Manifest for Vessel Cargo test for another two years from 22 May 2026, keeping electronic pre-loading export manifest submissions in place under OMB control number 1651-0001. Exporters and vessel operators using U.S. ports should treat this as confirmation that existing ACE export manifest data requirements remain unchanged but will continue to be enforced and monitored while CBP advances broader rulemaking on mandatory electronic export manifests.

23 May 2026, 11:15public-inspection.federalregister.govUnited States