The week saw an escalation of the EU-China trade dispute, the new Labour government begin a crackdown on firms evading Russian sanctions measure and the delay of the third phase of the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM).
The Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade was in Bristol this week for a regional event, while members also had the opportunity to chat with director general Marco Forgione at the second Connect & Grow networking event.
The big picture: The EU and China’s ongoing trade dispute ratcheted up a notch this week, as China placed retaliatory tariffs on EU brandy. The move followed the bloc’s vote to approve tariffs on a number of Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers.
This was followed by Reuters’ exclusive report that China could be benefitting from Europe’s retreat from Russia’s automotive industry following its invasion of Ukraine.
The Asian nation has been using Russian manufacturing plants unused by Western nations since the start of the war. The report also notes China has taken half of Russia’s car market in terms of sales since 2022.
The UK has also gotten serious about tackling sanction evasion, with a new unit launched to investigate breaches and enforce measures. Despite government offering a more conciliatory approach in supporting businesses to export compliantly, a freedom of information request from the BBC found that 37 businesses are currently being investigated for breaches. No fines have been issued yet.
Good week/Bad week: Good news for the UK’s poultry industry, as exports to South Africa have been given the go-ahead following an eight-year ban to stem an outbreak of avian influenza.
The government announced on Monday (10 October) that market access for UK exporters had been secured, estimated to be worth £160m to the industry over the next five years.
CEO of the International Meat Trade Association, Katie Doherty, described renewed access as “fantastic news”, adding that South Africa had been a “vital market” prior to the ban.
Food security minister Daniel Zeichner said that beyond the poultry industry the development “grants a new avenue through which to grow the UK economy”. He added that it represents a step towards:
“Securing better trade deals for UK farmers, improving industry resilience and kickstarting our food exports.”
It’s been a bad week for German exporters. Reuters reports that Germany’s industrial orders fell 2.4% in August figures released on Sunday revealed. The drop was attributed to a fall in order from within the Eurozone.
Thomas Gitzel, chief economist at consultancy VP, told the publication that higher energy prices across the bloc were responsible for diminished orders.
The country’s industrial output was rescued by a boost in exports following led by orders from the US and UK.
Exports rose 1.3% compared to a forecast fall of 1%, as predicted by a Reuters poll. Head of foreign trade at the German Chamber of Commerce, Volker Treier, still warned that “fundamental improvements are urgently needed in Germany as a business location, if the German export engine is to pick up in the long term”.
Treier concluded that, while August’s boost may be a “glimmer of hope”, it’s “no reason to sound the all-clear”.
How’s stat? 39%. That’s the new duty value that European brandy exporters could face when selling to China. The Asian nation announced the application if tariffs on European brandy exports this week, after EU members voted to approve tariffs on a number of Chinese Electric Vehicle manufacturers last week.
The week in customs: On Monday, the UK government confirmed that the requirement for all EU imports to be accompanied by a safety & security declaration would be delayed until 31 January 2025.
As the third phase of the BTOM, introduced earlier this year, the measure had been slated to come into effect from 31 October.
Quote of the week: “You are being stifled by steps which are not going to facilitate the green transition”.
Indian finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman criticising the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which imposes duties on carbon-intensive imports. Speaking at the Financial Times’ Energy Transition Summit India, she described CBAM as a “trade barrier” that will make it more difficult for developing nations to give up fossil fuels.
What else we covered this week: The Chartered Institute hosted a regional event in Bristol this week, with head of nations and regions, Paul Brooks, giving an address to collected members.
Following James Cleverly’s shock exit from the Conservative leadership race, we have a profile of remaining candidates Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick, considering their respective trade positions.
We also delved into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) with a Trade Explained exploring how the UK’s membership of the group, formally beginning in December, will benefit exporters.
We also welcomed Alibaba.com to a public webinar held Wednesday (11 October) offering insights into how more UK SMEs can use e-commerce to trade internationally. This follows the publication of a report by the Social Market Foundation, supported by the E-Commerce Trade Commission, on whose board Alibaba sits, addressing the same topic.
True facts: While France is the second-largest exporter of ‘hard liquor’, selling over US$6bn of spirits and liqueurs internationally in 2022 – and therefore feeling the sting of China’s new tariffs – the UK tops the global market for exports with just over $9.5bn sold worldwide in the same year, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity.