A Summary of New Foreign Trade Regulations in October
From October 1st, Export Agent Enterprises Must Report the Information of the Actual Goods Owners in Real Name
On October 1st, 2025, the "Announcement of the State Taxation Administration on Matters Concerning the Optimization of the Advance Payment Declaration of Enterprise Income Tax" (Announcement No. 17 of 2025) came into effect.This provision clearly states that enterprises that export goods through agency (including market procurement trade, comprehensive foreign trade service, etc.) shall, when making the advance payment declaration, simultaneously report the basic information and export amount of the actual principal of the export. If an enterprise fails to report accurately, it will be regarded as self - operated, and it shall bear the enterprise income tax that should be declared and paid for the corresponding export amount. The actual principal of the export refers to the actual production and sales unit of the goods.At the same time, the release of Announcement No. 17 also reminds export enterprises that the state has strengthened the supervision of export enterprises and requires enterprises to comply with policies, operations, and declarations. After the goods are exported, the income must be reported in a timely and accurate manner. For export agency, the income shall be confirmed by the real goods owner, and the "buy - order business" also requires the confirmation of the real goods owner. If the tax authorities find that the agent does not know or is unwilling to provide the real goods owner, the agent will become the main body for making up the tax. The behaviors such as false export, buy - order export, under - reporting the value of goods, and not confirming the income on time will be firmly cracked down on.
The "Regulations on the Reporting of Tax - related Information by Internet Platform Enterprises" is Implemented
From October 1st, in accordance with the requirements of the "Regulations on the Reporting of Tax - related Information by Internet Platform Enterprises" issued by the State Council, Internet platform enterprises will officially report the identity information and income information of the operators and employees within the platform for the first time.
China Officially Launches the World's First Arctic Container Express Route Connecting China and Europe
On September 23rd, China officially launched the world's first Arctic container express route connecting China and Europe, with the whole journey taking only 18 days. The Ningbo Municipal Government of Zhejiang Province announced that the first - voyage ship of this route, the "Istanbul Bridge", has set sail from the Ningbo - Zhoushan Port, the largest port in China, and is heading for the Port of Felixstowe in the UK. It is reported that this route takes the Arctic Northeast Passage, passing through the Bering Strait and directly reaching Europe, which is much shorter than the traditional route and reduces carbon emissions by about 50%.
Shanghai Introduces 13 New Measures to Promote the Export of Used Cars
Shanghai has recently formulated the "Shanghai Action Plan for Promoting the Export of Used Cars" (hereinafter referred to as the "Action Plan"), setting the above - mentioned latest goals. The scale of used - car exports in the Action Plan has increased significantly compared with the goal proposed last year. In July last year, the "Shanghai Action Plan for Accelerating the Renewal Consumption of Automobiles (2024 - 2027)" proposed that by 2027, the average age of used - car transactions in Shanghai would be reduced by 1 year, and the export volume of used cars would reach 15,000, doubling that of 2023.In order to achieve the goal, the "Action Plan" puts forward 13 measures, covering four aspects: building a comprehensive service platform for used - car exports, supporting the expansion of the scale of used - car exports, improving export facilitation, and enhancing service guarantees.
Trump Announces High Tariffs on Imported Building Materials, Furniture and Medicines
Local time on September 25th, US President Trump announced on his social media "Truth Social" that the United States will impose a new round of high - tariff measures on various imported products from October 1st. The measures include:
·A 50% tariff on kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities and related building materials.
·A 30% tariff on imported furniture.
·A 100% tariff increase on patented and branded drugs.
·A 25% tariff increase on all imported heavy - duty trucks.
The United States Imposes Port Fees on Chinese Vessels
On August 12th, 2025, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) officially announced the "Final Measures of the 301 Investigation on China's Maritime, Logistics and Shipbuilding Industries". From October 14th, port fees will be imposed on ships built or operated by China, and violators will be prohibited from docking.
Implementation Stages:
The first stage (October 2025 - April 2028): Focus on mainstream ship types such as container ships and bulk carriers, and charge according to tonnage or containers.
The second stage (after April 2028): Expand to liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, and restrict foreign ships from participating in the transportation of US energy.
The United Kingdom Updates the Import Guidelines for Composite Products
According to the news on the website of the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on September 19th, 2025, the UK has updated the import guidelines for composite products and adjusted the guidelines for filling in the weight of composite products in the Import of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System (IPAFFS).Specific requirements: When submitting an import notice for a composite product, it is no longer necessary to separately fill in the commodity code and weight for each component element of the composite product. Now, only one commodity code and one total weight can be filled in for the entire composite product. This rule applies to both mixed composite products (such as meatballs containing eggs) and separated composite products (such as a platter of separated cheese and meat). Although it is not required to report the weight of each element item by item, the "total product weight" filled in the PAFFS, as well as the weight in any required health certificate and customs declaration, must be consistent. If you still choose to fill in the weight/quantity of each element in the IPAFFS, this data should be consistent with the customs declaration data.
Russia Launches a Pilot Project for Compulsory Labeling of Daily Necessities
The Russian government approved the launch of an 11 - month - long experimental project for the compulsory labeling of daily necessities from September 25th, 2025, covering personal care and household items such as manicure sets, dental floss, towels, combs, and bath sponges. This experiment is implemented based on the "Honest Label" system ("Честный ЗНАК"), requiring the participation of producers, importers, and retailers, aiming to establish a unified label model and coding specification, with the test period lasting until August 31st, 2026. In addition, household items such as tableware, cleaning agents, and decorations will also simultaneously carry out a label pilot project from October 1st.This measure is part of Russia's 2030 consumer rights protection strategy. The existing label system has covered 18 categories of goods such as food, clothing, and medicine, in order to combat illegal circulation and counterfeit products.
Brazil Approves Zero - Tariff for 15 Key Imported Goods and Extends Some Industrial Protection Measures
The Executive Management Committee of the Brazilian Foreign Trade Commission (Gecex - Camex) held its 229th regular meeting on September 23rd and approved the reduction of import tariffs on 15 goods that are not produced in Brazil. The committee said that these products are crucial for multiple domestic production chains and will help improve the country's industrial competitiveness.The products with reduced tariffs include specific models of lithium - ion batteries (the tariff rate is reduced from 18% to zero), automatic external chest compression resuscitation systems (from 12.6% to zero), specific electrical connectors for printed circuit board welding (from 16% to zero), and high - hardenability chrome - molybdenum steel pipes (from 14.4% to zero).
Cuba Extends the Zero - Tariff Policy in the Livelihood Field to 2026 and Cancels Import Restrictions
In order to deal with the shortage of domestic material supplies, the Cuban government announced the extension of the zero - tariff policy in the livelihood fields such as food, hygiene products, medicines, and medical supplies until January 31st, 2026, and the cancellation of import value restrictions. This measure is due to the country's continuous economic difficulties, especially the shortage of goods caused by the impact of the COVID - 19 pandemic. The new measures also expand the scope of duty - free for medical equipment, raw materials, and medicines, while maintaining the duty - free quota of $200 (about 200,000 Cuban pesos) per person.
The Kenya Revenue Authority Relaxes the Rules of Origin
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has relaxed a new regulation that requires all imported goods to be accompanied by a Certificate of Origin (CoO), which will come into effect on October 1st, 2025. The tax officials have also opened a window to accept other clearance documents in special cases without a CoO, including a declaration of origin containing detailed origin information, an export license or permit issued by the competent authority of the exporting country, the customs export declaration of the exporting country, or a pre - verification of conformity certificate issued by an agent recognized by the Kenya Bureau of Standards. In order to further reduce the burden on importers, the KRA has exempted 10 product categories (including second - hand goods) from the CoO rule.
Iraq Requires QR Codes to be Added to Certificates of Origin
According to the news on the website of the Ministry of Commerce of China on September 4th, 2025, the Ministry of Trade of Iraq requires that certificates of origin for products exported to Iraq must be printed with QR codes, and the QR codes should contain all the information of the products. Iraq will use the QR codes as the basis for identification, that is, "recognize the code, not the (seal) stamp". This decision has been implemented since August 10th, 2025.
New Regulations of the Iranian Customs Simplify the Process of Importing Automobiles
According to the report of the Islamic Republic News Agency on September 16th, the new regulations of the Iranian Customs that came into effect on September 15th relax the restrictions on importing automobiles and simplify the import process to promote vehicle imports. Specifically, it includes canceling the separate application for vehicle standard permits and granting a one - year order registration validity period for vehicles with a displacement of less than 2.5 liters. The governor of Golestan Province in the northeast, Tahmasebi, said that he has met and reached an agreement with the director - general of the Iranian Customs Administration to build a special platform for automobile imports at the Incheh Borun Port in the province.
India Increases the Tax Rate on Clothing with a Unit Price of Over 2,500 Rupees to 18% from September 22nd
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has implemented the largest - scale tax reform in eight years, adjusting the Goods and Services Tax (GST).Among them, for the clothing industry, the new Indian tax regulations stipulate that from September 22nd, for clothing and clothing accessory products with a unit price of more than 2,500 rupees (about 202.22 yuan), the Goods and Services Tax will be increased from the previous 12% to 18%, while for clothing products with a price of less than 2,500 rupees, the minimum tax rate of 5% can be enjoyed. In terms of footwear products, the tax rate for shoes with a price of less than 2,500 rupees is reduced from 12% to 5%, and the tax rate for products with a price of more than 2,500 rupees remains at 18%.
The Registration Period for the Philippines' E - commerce Trustmark is Extended to December 31st
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) of the Philippines announced that the registration deadline for the e - commerce trustmark (Trustmark) has been extended from the original September 30th to December 31st, so that more small and medium - sized enterprises can complete the certification. As of September 19th, 10,057 enterprises have submitted applications, and major platforms such as TikTok, Lazada, and Shopee have taken the lead in obtaining certification.
South Korea Strengthens the Inspection of Phenacetin in Imported Livestock Products
On September 8th, 2025, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) of South Korea issued a notice on strengthening the inspection of phenacetin in imported livestock products. The main content is that imported livestock products (all kinds of meat and by - products and edible eggs) will be inspected for phenacetin, and the detection limit standard is non - detection. The inspection time is for livestock products shipped from October 1st, 2025.
Jordan Implements Safeguard Measures on Imported Safety and Protective Footwear
On September 2nd, 2025, the WTO Committee on Safeguards released the safeguard measure notification submitted by the Jordanian delegation. The Jordanian Council of Ministers issued a notice, deciding to impose a three - year safeguard measure tax on imported safety and protective footwear from September 1st, 2025, as follows:
·From September 1st, 2025 to August 31st, 2026, it is 5.75 Jordanian dinars per pair.
·From September 1st, 2026 to August 31st, 2027, it is 5.50 Jordanian dinars per pair.
·From September 1st, 2027 to August 30th, 2028, it is 5.25 Jordanian dinars per pair. The Harmonized System (HS) codes of the involved products are 6402, 6403, 6404 and 6405.