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Today is the first day of Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement.
All Australians, including manufacturers, workers, farmers, tradies, innovators, families and students, get benefits from this gold standard trade deal.
Two-way goods trade worth $10 billion in 2022 and two-way services trade worth over $11 billion in 2021-22 make the United Kingdom one of Australia’s major trading partners and its second largest services trading partner.
The UK will let over 99 per cent of Australian products enter duty free, including some of key exports, such as wine, short and medium grain rice, sugar, honey, nuts, olive oil and food supplements.
They eliminated UK tariffs on Australian industrial goods, such as auto parts, electrical equipment and fashion items. Duty free transitional quotas with eventual elimination of all tariffs will be introduced for Australian agricultural products, including beef and sheep meat, sugar and dairy products.
They also eliminated tariffs on 98 per cent of UK imports to Australia for Australian consumers, with the remainder removed within six years.
The UK – Australia people-to-people links are strengthened by this agreement. The same access to the UK job market as nationals from the European Union, except the Republic of Ireland, is now granted to Australian professionals.
Measures designed to improve the mobility of skilled workers and young people in both directions are also included in the agreement. It will become possible from 31 January 2024 for Australians up to the age of 35, up from 30, to apply for working holidays in the UK and stay for a maximum of three years instead of two.
Not just exchange of products and services, but also the exchange of ideas is boosted by trade. The foundation for receiving royalties by Australian artists, including First Nations artists, when their original works of art are resold in the UK, is laid by this new trade agreement.
The trade turnover amounting to over $1 trillion in 2022 makes the UK Australia’s second largest source of investment. Further growth in two-way investment will be promoted with the help of modern investment provisions.
It is important to mention that the agreement doesn’t include an investor-state dispute settlement mechanism. This preserves Australia’s sovereign right to develop and implement legitimate policy measures in areas such as public health and the environment.
Bringing this trade deal into force in record time is prioritised by the Albanese Labor Government legislation in the Parliament, with the aim of helping businesses diversify their trade and bring down the cost of living for Australians.
Assistance from Austrade can be got by Australian business looking to enter or expand into the UK market. The process of cutting the tariff under the agreement apply to their specific goods can also be checked by Business through DFAT’s FTA Portal and DFAT’s Guide to Using the A-UKFTA to export and import goods can be read by them.

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According to press service of the Ministry of Trade and Integration, measures to develop non-primary exports in Kazakhstan were spoken about by Vice-Minister of Trade and Integration Kairat Torebayev at the Central Communications Service.
He said that a record level of exports of processed products ($26.5 billion) was reached last year and this trend has continued this year.
An increase by 32% compared to the previous indicator of the same period last year was reached by the total volume of foreign trade in processed products in the first quarter of 2023 (totally $ 18.8 billion). An increase of 7.6% was shown by exports of non-primary goods for the same period (5.9 billion US dollars).
Export deliveries of a number of product names rose significantly last year: flour (70.8%), petroleum products (52.2%), passenger cars (46%), sunflower oil (19.9%) and fertilizers (2.8 times).
Kazakh finished products were sent to 106 countries of the world in Q1 2023, expanding the list of importing countries compared to the same period of the previous year, adding new markets, such as the Syrian Arab Republic, Senegal, North Macedonia, Somalia, Guinea, Cyprus.
Russia, China, Uzbekistan, Turkey, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia and Afghanistan are traditionally the main buyers of processed products from Kazakhstan.
The results of last year show that there are 650 active exporters of non-primary products in the country, which have been exporting for at least three years. Advantage of non-financial measures of state support, such as export acceleration programs, launching on marketplaces, participation in trade missions and reimbursement of part of the export costs, was taken by 463 enterprises.
The result in the form of a return on the invested budget money is shown by each measure. The Vice Minister of Trade and Integration cited data of the acceleration program at a briefing in the CCS that reports that the refund of one budget tenge amounted to 158 tenge, for withdrawal to marketplaces – 213 tenge, for service support measures – 652 tenge.
The Accelerator’s support made it possible to conclude 38 export contracts worth about 260 million US dollars last year. As of today, they have already signed 2 contracts for the supply of products to Uzbekistan for $19 million, 1 long-term contract for the supply of household chemicals to Russia for a total of $1.3 million (600 million a year) and 2 more contracts for the supply of copper products to the Chinese market for $5 million. The supply of Kazakhstani food products to South Korea is also a subject of negotiations.
Since the beginning of 2023, they have conducted 5 trade and economic missions through QazTrade in such countries as Vietnam (Hanoi), Azerbaijan (Baku), Iran (Tehran), China (Xi’an), Uzbekistan (Tashkent). These trade and economic missions made it possible to sign export contracts worth more than $300 million.
They will organize 5 more trade and economic missions by the end of the year. In addition, the presentation of the national stands of the Republic of Kazakhstan at the annual Shanghai Import Exhibition in Shanghai (China), the 8th EXPO China-Eurasia XUAR and others is planned.
An electronic trading platform Alibaba.com is another relevant tool for promoting goods to foreign markets. The total sales of 220 companies placed on the trading platform amounted to about 225 million US dollars in 2020-2022. This year, access to golden marketplace accounts will be provided to 70 companies.
They opened the National Pavilion on an electronic platform “JD.com as part of the recent visit of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the city of Xi’an. In addition, they completed the construction of the Ozon fulfillment center in Astana in March and registered 15 thousand Kazakhstani sellers at its site with their sales volume exceeding 10 billion tenge in 2022.
The reimbursement of part of the costs to exporters is one of the most popular measures of state support. The costs in the amount of 8.8 billion tenge were returned by the state by the end of 2022.
The share of small businesses (companies operating in the fields of food production and wholesale trade) among the recipients of funds was about 48%.
The Ministry of Trade and Integration reports that this support measure made the geography of exports add three countries (Cyprus, France and Japan) and the range of goods for which cost recovery is carried grow by 53 positions.
Companies can apply for cost recovery from April 21 to July 21 2023. It is planned to approve applications in the amount of about 10 billion tenge by the end of the year, and the number of enterprises that have used this support measure will be increased to three hundred.

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As Varos Simonyan, a Eurasian Economic Commission (executive arm of EEU) Minister for Internal Markets, Information and Communication Technologies, said in an interview with sb.by, putting the trusted third party service into commercial operation this year is the goal of building cross-border trust space across the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).
He emphasized on the necessity of cross border trust space for implementation of legally relevant interstate electronic document management and development of information exchange in the EEU.
According to the minister, draft rules for the recognition of digital electronic signatures in electronic documents and ensuring the validity of electronic documents in cross-border information interaction of legal entities with state authorities of EEU member states has been developed by the EEC.
He also added that a trusted third party service will be used as a universal mechanism for the provision of interstate services in electronic form.
Data protection in cross-border information exchange in the current geopolitical conditions also got a special attention.
According to Simonyan, an active work is being done by the EEC and the countries to create a secure data transmission network and joint development of specialized cryptographic information protection tools.

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According to Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank Armen Nurbekyan, Armenian economy growth continues at high rates.
As he said, presenting the annual report on the Central Bank’s activities at a meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on financial-credit and budgetary issues today, high external demand in the services sector, as well as by growth in the construction sector, largely facilitates this process.
Nurbekyan said that a significant increase in the number of foreign clients and financial flows in 2022 made the exchange rate of the Armenian national currency strengthen significantly in both nominal and real terms.
Nurbekyan highlighted that the rise in prices of imported goods starting from Q 3 2022 was substantially restrained by the Armenian dram’s strengthening, which manifested itself in parallel with growth in external demand.
The National Statistical Committee registered an increase by 12.2% of Armenia’s economic activity in January-March 2023 compared to January-March 2022.

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Various sectors of the economy has met New Zealand’s announcement of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United Kingdom with enthusiasm and anticipation. Economic ties are expected to be deepened and new avenues for trade to be opened between the two nations by the agreement that is set to take effect on May 31.
The NZ-UK FTA has been hailed by Export New Zealand, an organization representing exporters, as comprehensive and modern, with confidence in the strengthened economic relationship it will foster. The exceptional market access package achieved through the negotiations was highlighted by Josh Tan, Senior Policy Advisor at Export NZ.
According to him, 99.5 percent of current exports will enter the UK tariff-free, and the path will be cleared for 100 percent tariff elimination for NZ exporters by this agreement. He sees this development as a boon for British consumers who enjoy New Zealand products like sauvignon blanc and spring lamb. It will simultaneously benefit Kiwi exporters.
The positive impact of the FTA on bilateral trade was emphasized by Business NZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope. The amount of around six billion dollars annually was achieved by the two-way trade between New Zealand and the UK prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and experts expect the figure to rise with the implementation of the FTA.
A strong signal is sent to British investors by the agreement, affirming that New Zealand’s stability and transparency make it an attractive investment destination.
According to Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce, better access for Canterbury exporters to the UK market will be provided by the agreement. The benefits for primary sector and manufacturing businesses in the Canterbury region were also emphasized by Leeann Watson, CEO of the Chamber.
The reduction of export costs and levelling of the playing field, enhancing the competitiveness of New Zealand products in the UK market, are expected by FTA. A chapter in the agreement is dedicated to maximizing opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses, which are regarded as engines of growth in the local economy.
The early implementation of the FTA with the UK was welcomed by the horticulture industry, which has faced numerous challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gratitude to government officials for expediting the agreement, citing its potential to provide hope for the future and support industry growth, was expressed by Nadine Tunley, Chief Executive of Horticulture New Zealand.
The aim of increasing the industry’s value to $12 billion by 2035 unites the FTA and the Aotearoa Horticulture Action Plan. The elimination of tariffs and non-tariff barriers, making the FTA’s early adoption a significant step toward achieving these goals are included in the plan.
The FTA was celebrated by the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ) due to its positive impact on the dairy sector. According to Kimberly Crewther, Executive Director of DCANZ, complete duty-free entry into the UK market by 2028 will be achieved due to the agreement, and New Zealand exporters will be able to compete with their European counterparts on an equal footing.
Substantial potential for New Zealand dairy products is held by the UK, the world’s second-largest dairy import market. Opportunities for increased trade and market share will be created by the elimination of tariffs on various dairy products, including liquid milk, yogurt, and infant formula.
Market dynamics and commercial demand will regulate the actual level of trade, while the FTA’s entry into force marks a significant milestone for New Zealand’s trade with the UK. Nonetheless, a valuable platform for building stronger relationships with UK dairy customers and expanding export options for New Zealand’s dairy industry is provided by the agreement.
As this new chapter of free trade cooperation is embarked on by New Zealand and the United Kingdom, the mutual benefits and strengthened economic ties that lie ahead are anticipated both countries.

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NH Logistics took part in Retail Supply Chain & Logistics Expo, which was held on May 3-4 in Las Vegas. Designed to showcase emerging technologies and strategies in retail, the Retail Supply-Chain Logistics Expo in Las Vegas set its agenda to cover logistics networks, ecommerce, selling/supplying industries and much more. Co-located events, speaking engagements delivered … Read more

Over 250 leaders of large companies, holdings and industrial enterprises, banks, ministries, agencies and industry associations from Uzbekistan and Germany attended a joint business forum held in Berlin on May 2 this year on the eve of the visit of President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sh.M.Mirziyoyev to the Federal Republic of Germany.
The active development of bilateral relations between Uzbekistan and Germany in recent years achieved dues to the trust and political will of the two countries was stressed by Jamshid Khodjaev, Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, in his welcoming speech.
The double growth in mutual trade turnover over the past five years was noted by the sides. Another 50% growth of the indicators of bilateral trade was recorded at the end of 2022. It exceeded one billion euros for the first time.
They also observe consistent dynamics in investment cooperation and industrial partnership. A nearly threefold increase of the number of enterprises with German equity investment set up in Uzbekistan has been noted for a few years and it exceeded 200 units. An 11-fold growth of the total volume of German investments since 2017 made it exceed 4 billion euros. Business is already being done very successfully and new productions are being actively launched in Uzbekistan by many German companies, such as MAN, CLAAS, Knauf, GP Papenburg, Viessmann, Deutsche Kabel, LEMKEN.
Conditions created in Uzbekistan for comfortable work of foreign investors, as well as the strengths of the Uzbek economy drew the attention of German business circles. They particularly noted high human resource potential, strategic geographical position, free trade regimes with CIS countries, the GSP+ status, active efforts to join the World Trade Organization, rich resources of raw materials and direct support of the leadership and government in joint projects and initiatives.
Energy, chemical, food and textile industries, metallurgy, automotive industry, agriculture, production of building materials, electrical engineering, as well as pharmaceuticals and health care are the most promising areas for building long-term cooperation.
High appreciation of the results of economic reforms pursued in Uzbekistan, which have yielded, among other things, comfortable conditions for foreign investors working in the country, was given by representatives of German business circles. A firm commitment to step up cooperation and work out new joint projects was expressed by the sides.
B2B meetings and presentations of concrete cases and projects in various sectors of Uzbekistan’s economy continued the forum.

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Expected cost of the new draft Target Operating Model for importers is up to £400m a year
The cost of the UK’s final post-Brexit border checks for food importers are estimated by the government to be hundreds of millions of pounds, adding to upward pressure on inflation.
According to British officials, industry executives should expect that the new draft Target Operating Model, including proposals on how food and fresh produce from the EU is evaluated when it enters the country, will cost importers up to £400m a year. This information was given by two unidentified people at the meetings.
Lingering frictions in the trading relationship with the EU are highlighted by the estimate as final and much-delayed border checks on the bloc’s imports are rolled out by the UK from October. There are also efforts to smooth passport checks for British people visiting the EU and the arrangements at Northern Ireland’s land border taken by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government.
More misery on shoppers who are already suffering the worst cost-of-living crisis in generations and the fastest increase in grocery bills in more than 45 years will be piled by higher costs. The Bank of England, which is trying to reduce inflation, also has additional headaches.
According to Shane Brennan, CEO of the Cold Chain Federation, everything about this is massively inflationary on food costs. Brennan said he was unaware of the cost estimate, in spite of having been at one of the cabinet office meetings.
The £400m cost estimate was first reported by Politico.
The proposals for the UK’s final stage of post-Brexit border checks have been were made by Food industry officials to cut off these “significant” parts of the supply chain for restaurants and grocery stores.
A draft of its Target Operating Model on import controls was released by the UK government earlier in April. Checks affecting animal and plant imports, which will face different levels of scrutiny depending on the risk they’re judged to pose, are included in that.
Brennan said that the actual direct cost will be significant and, assuming there is a significant retraction of the businesses that are willing to supply the UK, then there’s a reduction in supply which will create inflationary pressure.
Executives were told by government officials at meetings that the cabinet office had organized by in recent weeks that the measures will cost £400m more than the current arrangements. Nevertheless, the published TOM documents report that new checks would reduce costs for businesses by £400m relative to its original post-Brexit import model.
According to a cabinet office spokesperson, exploration of the costs of implementing the new model engages industry in the proposals.
He said that a new world-class system to provide protection from security and biosecurity threats, while preventing delays at the border through a reduction in the need for physical checks and by ensuring that checks take place away from ports where this is needed to allow traffic to flow freely will be created by the new border rules.
The spokesperson added that any certificates or physical checks won’t be required for many low-risk goods, which will make their import easier than under the previously proposed model or the EU model.
The introduction of the final set of controls on EU imports was delayed by the government for a fourth time in April 2022. A promise to harness technology to smooth the new checks was given by Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Brexit opportunities minister at the time. Full checks on imports of British goods have already been imposed by the EU.
Many smaller EU importers were warned by industry bosses about too onerous measures, ramping up costs and threatening to damage supply to the supermarket shelves. According to one industry leader, the blow from the changes is likely to surpass the government’s expectations.
Significant proportions of the supply chain will be collapsed by veterinary control requirements on all medium risk goods, according to Brennan.
He said that these regulations concern anything that’s meat or dairy and major disruption is coming for anyone who is in the meat industry or for someone who wants to buy and trade product of animal origin.

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As the Armenian government’s report on the progress and results of the implementation of its plan of actions in 2022 announces, the trade turnover with the U.S. in 2022 more than doubled compared to the previous year to about $465 million.
An increase by 43.8% was shown by Armenia’s trade with EU member states, and the record high of almost 2 billion euros was achieved. Armenia’s exports to the EU showed an increase by 17.8% compared to 2021.
An increase of about 42% was achieved by Armenia’s trade with Iran. It grew up to about $711 million compared to about $503.5 million in 2021.
A growth to $879 million was shown by Armenia’s trade with Georgia (up from $422 million in 2021).
Armenia’s trade turnover with China increased by 39.4% from about $1.8 billion to $1.3 billion compared in the previous year.
The official statistics show that Armenia’s foreign trade in 2022 increased by 68.8% compared to 2021 and reached $14.1bln. The rise of Armenia’s exports was 77.7% while the increase of imports was 63.5%.

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A string of amendments to the law, which designates imported goods, which are not subject to excise duties and are exempted from value added tax, is approved today in the second and final reading by the Armenian parliament by a vote of 81 and 6 abstentions.
The amendments will make import of those raw materials, which are not produced in Armenia, exempted from value added tax (VAT) paid on the border.
According to Deputy Minister of Economy Armen Arzumanyan, currently a large number of enterprises import raw materials, which are not available in Armenia.
He said in parliament that given that the economic policy of the government is aimed at supporting local producers and increasing the efficiency of cash flow management by business entities, they plan to gradually shift taxation on imported raw materials and equipment from the border to the domestic economy.
As Arzumanyan said, gradual exemption of certain types of goods from VAT is called for by the amendments. He added that the country imported about $11 million worth of such goods in 2021, but they expect imports to increase after the approval of the amendments.
According to Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan, domestic chicken eggs for incubation; embryos, seminal fluid, seeds; products for the testing industry, including the processing of textile materials, leather, skins, etc.; also products necessary for the production of poultry and meat are included in the list of the goods to be exempted from VAT.

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