China's National Intellectual Property Administration (NIPA) recently ruled on two patent infringement disputes, the first of its kind under the agency's new authority to review major patent disputes.

China plans to take more steps to facilitate agricultural imports from African countries, said Chinese officials, including easing sanitary and phytosanitary measures. While some progress has been made already, obstacles still remain, including Chinese regulatory red tape and the productivity of African exporters.

China's Customs agency recently announced that it will start allowing imports of fresh pomegranate from Egypt.

U.S. export control officials added four emerging technologies to the control list through an interim final rule, the latest move that will create hurdles for the Chinese semiconductor industry.

Reports suggest that U.S.-Taiwan trade talks may move ahead soon with an announcement of new details, although the scope of such talks remains clouded with uncertainty.

In a further development related to the U.S.-China spat over auditing requirements for Chinese companies listed in the United States, five Chinese state-owned companies have decided to delist from the New York Stock Exchange.

In meetings that took place last week, officials from China and Nepal discussed ways to boost bilateral trade, and renewed commitments on Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects.