S’pore key exports surprise with smaller drop in March but economists see slump dragging on

UPDATED 17 APR 2023, 11:37 PM SGT SINGAPORE – Singapore’s key exports posted a much smaller drop than expected in March, but economists say that while the worst may be over, the outlook remains gloomy. Exports are likely to remain around current weak levels in the coming months, with the United States and the euro…

China Smartphone Maker Oppo Evaded $551m in Tax, Says India

July 13, 2022 The tech firm wrongfully used duty exemptions for items imported for use in mobile phone production, said India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo evaded $551 million worth of Indian customs duty, a government statement said on Wednesday. A probe by India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence found that the smartphone maker wrongfully…

UK hands over national trade repository to Vietnam

  Hanoi (VNA) – The British Government handed over the Vietnam national trade repository (VNTR) to the Vietnamese side at a ceremony on July 13. The project was launched in 2020 under a letter of intention signed by the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and the British Department of International Trade, in which the British side provided technical assistance for Vietnam.…

China-Laos Railway sees brisk passenger, cargo transport over inaugural 4 months

  As of Sunday, the China-Laos Railway has handled over 2.25 million passenger trips and transported 1.31 million tons of cargo since its launch in December, official data showed. Trains on the railway have provided a safe, comfortable and convenient means of inter-city transport for residents along the route, while passenger trips have seen strong…

Customs steps up to ensure quick clearance of imports

Imported supplies such as vegetables, fruit, milk, milk powder and beef have been quickly cleared and transferred during the ongoing COVID-19 resurgence in Shanghai, according to Shanghai Customs. A cargo of pumpkins from New Zealand, weighing 25.6 tons, passed through customs smoothly at Waigaoqiao port area after quarantine inspection on March 29. In addition, the…

Trading firm director convicted of illegally importing 1,787 elephant tusks into Singapore.

Dao Thi Boi, 40, was found guilty of importing a scheduled species without a permit She had not taken all reasonable precautions or exercised all due diligence before helping her client with his shipment in 2018, a judge found The shipment was found to contain almost 1,800 pieces of elephant ivory She will return to…

UK exchequer may have lost up to £30bn of VAT via non-declarations

There could be upwards of 100 million customs declarations not made post-implementation, according to head of international trade and customs at Fujitsu, Frank Dunsmuir. Fujitsu hosts the CHIEF customs declaration system. He told The Loadstar that “easily around £30bn” of VAT had been lost due to HMRC’s six-month (175-day) delay on declarations for goods imported between 1…