Federal Judge Upholds Trump Administration’s $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee 
South Korea Prosecutor Alleges Former First Lady Kim Keon Hee Abused Power for Bribes 
Air China Orders 60 Airbus A320neo Jets in $9.5 Billion Deal as Airbus Strengthens Grip on China Market 
China LNG Imports Rise in December as Long-Term Contracts Drive Growth 
Justice Department Restores Trump Photo in Epstein Files After Review Clears Image 
Najib Razak Awaits Court Rulings in 1MDB Case as Malaysia’s Anti-Graft Drive Faces Test 
Vanda Pharmaceuticals Wins FDA Approval for New Motion Sickness Drug After Four Decades 
Anghami Stock Soars After Strong H1 2025 Results, Revenue Nearly Doubles on OSN+ Integration 
China to Cut Import Tariffs on Key Commodities and Medical Products From Next Year 
L&F Tesla Battery Supply Deal Value Drops Sharply Amid EV Market Slowdown 
Vietnam’s EV Taxi Giant GSM Eyes Hong Kong IPO With $2–3 Billion Valuation 
South Korea Inflation Rises to 2.3% in December, Matching Market Expectations 
John Carreyrou Sues Major AI Firms Over Alleged Copyrighted Book Use in AI Training 
U.S. Stock Futures Slip as Year-End Trading Turns Cautious 
Najib Razak Jailed 15 More Years in Landmark 1MDB Verdict With Major Political Impact 
Asian Stock Markets Trade Narrowly as Year-End Volumes Thin, KOSPI Outperforms on Tech Rally 
Oil Prices Slide in 2025 as Oversupply and Geopolitical Risks Shape Market Outlook 
China’s new laws now require all food importations to register with the customs authority, creating another barrier for international firms who have long complained of unfair treatment.
Chinese consumers purchased $108 billion worth of imported produce in 2020, with that number expected to grow for 2021 as imports surged nearly 30 percent on year in the first three quarters.
The extra hurdle, previously required only for products posing potential health risks, such as seafood, will now be applied to coffee, alcohol, honey, olive oil, chocolate, and several other products.
Alban Renaud, a China-based lawyer with the firm Adaltys, said there were still many unknowns, such as the margin of tolerance and the applications that are not yet approved.
Importers complained about the late publication of application details and that the website for registering only went online last month. They added that there are hurdles in registering, such as information not being available in English.
Some companies were even given the wrong country code, such as a Portuguese importer being registered as Spanish, according to a Beijing-based diplomat.
Food companies and importers have to deal with control measures under China's strict zero-COVID strategy, with products now subject to extra screening and repeated disinfection.
