Ukraine has started preparations for negotiations on new agreements on a free trade area (FTA) with Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia and China, Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture Ihor Petrashko has said.
“Preparations are underway for negotiations on an FTA with Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia and China,” he said during a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday.
He also said Ukraine has started negotiations with the EU on revising the Association Agreement.
Petrashko said the additional capitalization of the Export Credit Agency (ECA) to UAH 2 billion, which is provided by the 2021 national budget, will strengthen Ukraine’s export positions
Ukraine is holding negotiations with China on the delivery of a coronavirus vaccine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.
“[China says] that they stand ready to supply it. The Health Ministry has concrete information, and we are helping them now in order to facilitate certain contacts between representatives of the Health Ministry and representatives of the [vaccine] producer,” Kuleba told the Ukraine 24 TV channel on Thursday.
The Interdepartmental Commission on International Trade (ICMT) has completed a review of antidumping measures regarding the import of seamless stainless steel pipes to Ukraine from China, extending their effect for another five years.
According to a report in the Uriadovy Kurier newspaper published on December 19 of this year, the measures were revised in connection with their expiration.
Based on the results of the revision, the ICMT found that the level of anti-dumping measures applied was sufficient to prevent dumping of imports and causing damage to the national producer; the position of exporters and economic conditions are such that the possibility of new types of dumping that will harm domestic producers is not ruled out.
The current voluntary pricing commitments from foreign manufacturer/exporter Zhejiang Longda Stainless Steel Co., Ltd are sufficient to prevent dumping and damage.
“National interests require the continuation of anti-dumping measures regarding the import of seamless stainless steel pipes to Ukraine from China,” the commission said.
In this regard, the commission decided to complete the revision and extend the anti-dumping measures applied by its decision of November 27, 2014 for another five years. At the same time, extend the voluntary price commitment of Zhejiang Longda Stainless Steel Co. to stop dumping imports of seamless stainless steel pipes to Ukraine from China. The final anti-dumping measures should not be applied to this manufacturer/exporter, due to the fact that the voluntary obligation to stop dumping imports to Ukraine continues.
The decision of the commission made on December 14, 2020 came into force from the date of publication of this report (from December 19, 2020).
Nova Poshta Global, part of the Nova Poshta group of companies, has created an additional hub for international shipments in Lviv: it launched charter flights to Lviv airport and opened the second central sorting station.
According to Nova Poshta, the first charter flight from the United States flew to Lviv in early December. On board were more than 15,000 items of the NP Shopping service with a total weight of over 30 tonnes. Nova Posta Global plans to operate flights from the United States regularly, twice a week: one flight to Lviv and one to Kyiv.
In addition, the company plans to carry out charter flights from China both to Lviv and Kyiv. In particular, on December 6, a flight with departures from the Chinese online store AliExpress, on board of which there were 60,000 parcels with a total weight of 20 tonnes, already arrived at Boryspil International Airport.
“Soon we expect the arrival of two more flights, which will deliver about 20 more tonnes of cargo,” the company said.
Previously, the company’s flights with international departures arrived only at Boryspil airport, and went through customs clearance and sorting at the central station in Kyiv.
Since the beginning of this year, Nova Poshta Global has more than doubled its volumes, delivering 5.7 million shipments: an increase that has put additional strain on the sorting station.
The third container train from China on a new route, which delivered 41 forty-foot containers with shoes, non-ferrous metal products, medical and pharmaceutical equipment, consumer goods and other combined cargo, arrived at the Kyiv-Lisky station.
The press service of Ukrzaliznytsia reported last week, the company has already received 17 trains from different regions of China. These trains run from Wuhan and Jinannan and carry 43 containers with various cargoes: magnesium sulfate, equipment, aluminum frames, disposable syringes, PET bottles and light industrial products.
Trains cover the distance of transportation, which is more than 9,000 km across the territory of four countries, in 15 days.
Ukrzaliznytsia will continue receiving trains from China according to a new logistics scheme with a further increase in their frequency.
“The introduction of new logistics schemes for the transportation of goods allows attracting additional cargo flows and opens up new opportunities for the users of transport services to deliver goods to their destination. This work is carried out together with the solution of pressing issues regarding tariff policy, technical re-equipment, improving the technology of the transportation process and services,” the company said.
Ukrzaliznytsia added that its branch Lisky center of transport service plans to continue active work on identifying new promising routes for container trains.
The Chinese company Sinohydro Corporation Limited intends to file a claim in international arbitration for the termination of the contract for the reconstruction of the bypass road around Zhytomyr by the State Agency of Automobile Roads of Ukraine (Ukravtodor).
According to the company’s statement, Sinohydro considers it unfair that Ukravtodor, having failed to effectively fulfill its contractual obligations, unilaterally decided to terminate the contract, while the Dispute Settlement Council (created under the contract together with Ukravtodor in May 2020) is still considering disputes surrounding this contract and has already ruled on some of them, allowing Sinohydro to renew the contract.
Sinohydro says the untimely transfer of a land plot for public use by Ukravtodor, the introduction of a number of design changes not provided for in the contract, failure to fulfill payment obligations, as well as force majeure in the form of the COVID-19 epidemic and many other factors influenced the project schedule and led to a violation of the terms of work.
“Since June 2020, facing an unfavorable situation caused by the fact that Ukravtodor did not complete the interim payment for construction work on time, and the continuing impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, Sinohydro has advanced over EUR 5 million to meet its contractual obligations and reduce the delay,” the company said.
It is emphasized that in comparison with other sections of roads under construction in Ukraine at the same time, this project is being implemented at a rather fast pace and is already nearing completion.
“Under the circumstances, the Dispute Settlement Council decided on the first contract dispute initiated by Sinohydro in September 2020. It agreed to extend the contractor’s deadline for construction work by 87 days. However, when the Council began considering at least four disputes over damages to Sinohydro, Ukravtodor unexpectedly announced the termination of the contract,” the report says.
