Last Friday, China's Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs (GACC) announced that they had adjusted the export controls on graphite, which were instituted in 2006, by revising the scope of controlled items. The majority of current graphite exports from China have already been subject to export

On Friday, the Australian Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet announced that, based on its review of the circumstances of the lease of the Port of Darwin, it would not vary or cancel a 99 year lease of the Port to Chinese company Landbridge Group.

This past week, CTM covered the following issues. In China: * China and Serbia sign FTA * Chilean state visit leads to various deals * China-EU Strategic Dialogue In the U.S.: * Export controls on semiconductors and AI expanded * New brief filed in litigation on UFLPA Entity List In Europe: * Progress on forced

China and Serbia signed a free trade agreement (FTA) this week, as the bilateral trade between the two has risen in recent years. Serbia's possible accession to the European Union, however, puts the future of the FTA in question.

The European Union's efforts to adopt a regulation on forced labor are progressing, as Parliament has moved the regulation forward, but finalizing the regulation could stretch into next year.

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced new export control rules that target China's semiconductor and AI industry, expanding the parameters and patching "loopholes" of existing export controls on chips and manufacturing tools.

At Monday's meeting of the WTO Committee on Market Access, China and other governments raised concerns about a new Indian restriction on computers, tablets and other electronic products.