Epidemic World Affairs: Cross-border e-commerce today's questions

What you need to know about the epidemic

As of 18:06 on February 7, a total of 31,252 confirmed cases, 26,359 suspected cases, 637 deaths, and 1,663 cases have been cured and discharged.

On February 6, Hubei Province held a routine press conference on the prevention and control of the new coronavirus pneumonia epidemic, revealing that at present, the prevention and control of the epidemic in Hubei Province has entered a critical period, and there is still a shortage of 2,246 medical staff.

On February 7, the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation launched four major measures to support the prevention and control of the pneumonia epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus. Enterprises and individuals who donate cash and items used to respond to the pneumonia epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus through public welfare social organizations or state organs such as the people's governments at or above the county level and their departments are allowed to deduct the full amount when calculating taxable income. Enterprises and individuals who donate items used to respond to the pneumonia epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus directly to hospitals responsible for epidemic prevention and control are allowed to deduct the full amount when calculating taxable income.

At 2:58 a.m. on February 7, Li Wenliang, an ophthalmologist at Wuhan Central Hospital, died after being infected with the novel coronavirus. Dr. Li Wenliang was a physician at Wuhan Central Hospital and one of the eight doctors who first warned of the dangerous disease in December last year. At only 34 years old, Dr. Li Wenliang was one of the youngest among the deceased, which is particularly sad and heartbreaking.

Industry News

1. Sky-high priced masks appear on Amazon

According to netizens, within just a few days since the first case of novel coronavirus pneumonia was confirmed in the United States, the price of 3M N95 1860 (20 pairs/box) sold on Amazon has soared from more than 40 Canadian dollars (free shipping) to 1,530 Canadian dollars, equivalent to RMB 8,055! !

The average price of each mask is as high as 76.5 Canadian dollars, equivalent to 402 yuan! Such sky-high-priced masks are almost sold out. After seeing this information, the editor searched on Amazon and found that the market price may have been adjusted. But although it is not the so-called sky-high price, the price is still 200%-400% higher than before. For example, the seller named "Breningers LLC" is selling the same 3M N95 1860 mask for US$179.88 (10 pairs/box), which is still many times higher than the original price of more than 40 dollars/20 pairs.

2. Lazada Yiwu sorting center suspends service

In order to cooperate with the epidemic prevention and control measures of the Yiwu Municipal Government, Lazada issued a notice stating that the Lazada Yiwu sorting center will suspend services.

From now on, the door-to-door collection service covered by the Yiwu sorting center in Hangzhou, Jinhua, Yiwu and other areas will be suspended, including the delivery service of merchants sending their own express and delivering to the Yiwu sorting center. For express parcels that have been sent but have not arrived at the Yiwu sorting center, they will be signed for and transferred to the Shenzhen sorting center for processing.

When the Yiwu sorting center suspends service, merchants need to arrange express delivery to the Shenzhen sorting center to ensure the normal fulfillment of orders. At the same time, due to the constant changes in epidemic control measures, Lazada recommends that sellers must contact the local express company to confirm whether it supports it before shipping.

3. Newegg provides Chinese sellers with logistics time exemption extension

Newegg sellers: In response to the current special situation, Newegg has decided to provide Chinese sellers with a unified exemption of logistics time limit: For goods shipped from mainland China/Hong Kong, orders between January 31 and February 7 can enjoy the exemption of logistics time limit until 4 pm on February 10. In other words, for orders received between January 31 and February 7, as long as the seller completes the product order logistics information in the Newegg seller backend system Seller Portal before 4 pm on February 10, the order will be confirmed by the platform.

4. India significantly raised tariffs

According to the latest news from foreign media, starting from February 1, the Indian government once again announced an increase in import tariffs on goods such as electronic products, toys and furniture, aiming to promote domestic manufacturing. In her 2020-21 government budget, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that import tariffs on furniture, footwear, home appliances, mobile phone parts, toys and other products would be increased, with footwear increased from 25% to 35% and toys increased from 20% to 60%! And further revise the Tariff Act (Section 28DA) on anti-dumping and related measures to restrict imports! At the same time, some companies criticized India for increasingly resorting to protectionist policies that discriminate against foreign companies.

In addition to shoes and toys, the tax rate on imported goods such as kitchen utensils, fans and small appliances will double to 20%, while the tax rate on furniture such as seats, lamps and mattresses will increase from 20% to 25%. The tariff on shelled walnuts will increase from 30% to 100%. In addition, some car and smartphone parts will also face higher import taxes.

5. Guangzhou issued the "15 Measures for Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises"

Yesterday, the 100th Standing Committee of the 15th Guangzhou Municipal People's Government reviewed and approved the "15 Measures to Support the Healthy Development of Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises in Winning the Battle Against the Epidemic", which innovatively introduced a series of policy measures from the aspects of strengthening financial support, reducing rental costs, reducing and exempting taxes and fees, implementing assistance to enterprises to stabilize employment, increasing financial support, and launching warm-up actions for enterprises, forming a working synergy to support the majority of small, medium and micro enterprises to stabilize production and operation and solve problems.

6. China adjusts tariff rates on approximately $75 billion of U.S. imports

In order to promote the healthy and stable development of Sino-US economic and trade relations, in accordance with the Customs Law of the People's Republic of China, the Foreign Trade Law of the People's Republic of China, the Import and Export Tariff Regulations of the People's Republic of China and other laws and regulations and the basic principles of international law, the Tariff Commission of the State Council decided to adjust the additional tariff measures on approximately US$75 billion of imported goods originating from the United States. From 13:01 on February 14, 2020, the additional tariff rate for goods that have been subject to a 10% tariff since September 1, 2019 will be adjusted to 5%; the additional tariff rate for goods that have been subject to a 5% tariff will be adjusted to 2.5%.

7. "Eleven Measures for Enterprises in Futian District, Shenzhen to Help Each Other in Preventing and Controlling the Epidemic" was released

Recently, Futian District of Shenzhen City launched the "Eleven Measures to Support Enterprises in the Fight against the Epidemic in Futian District of Shenzhen City", which include policies such as rent reduction and exemption, interest-subsidized loans, loan insurance guarantee support, labor and social security support, and help solve the problem of difficulty in recruiting workers, to support industries and enterprises affected by the epidemic prevention and control to overcome difficulties.

The 11 items of "Fuqi" support targets enterprises in key industries in Futian District that are directly affected by the epidemic, mainly including private small and medium-sized enterprises in manufacturing, commerce (wholesale, retail, accommodation, and catering), business and resident services, construction, cultural and sports tourism, transportation, exhibition, and scientific research and technology services, as well as enterprises and institutions that provide related services to the above-mentioned industries and enterprises. The applicable period is from February 1 to July 31, 2020, and after the expiration of the period, it will be studied separately according to the epidemic situation. According to Article 11 of "Fuqi", the Futian District Government and the district-owned state-owned enterprise properties will reduce the rent of eligible tenants by 50% in January 2020, waive the rent in February, and reduce the rent by 50% in March. In terms of production and operation, enterprises that have made contributions to the effective response to the epidemic and achieved stable development will be given special support in the 2020 industrial capital policy. Subsidies will be given to relevant fees paid in accordance with the law for purchase and sales contracts, processing contracts, and cargo transportation contracts signed by enterprises during the epidemic prevention and control period. In addition, the Futian District Government and relevant departments will also provide enterprises with loan interest subsidy support, financing support, loan guarantee insurance support, core talent support, key project support, labor employment support, and superimposed supporting support.

8. Well-known American fashion brand sued for infringement

Recently, the prosecution actions of American law firms have become very frequent. In this extraordinary period, sellers must not take it lightly. Today's infringing brand is Marc Jacobs.

The brand owner of Marc Jacobs is MARC JACOBS TRADEMARKS, LLC. The latest case was filed on February 3rd, and it was fierce, with two cases in a row! The case numbers are 20-cv-788 & 20-cv-807. The reason for Marc Jacobs' lawsuit this time is trademark infringement, and the names of the infringing trademarks are: "MARC JACOBS" and "Double J Graphic Trademark". The law firm representing the Marc Jacobs brand this time is GBC. GBC is famous for phishing for evidence collection from sellers. Sellers should pay special attention to phishing accounts and do not easily disclose PayPal information. In addition, there are still many products under Marc Jacobs. Sellers should pay attention to checking the store and pay attention to some clothing, hats, and bags. The text or graphic trademarks.

9. A fire on a container ship under CMA CGM caused serious delays in cargo

A container ship serving the ANL Oceania route under CMA CGM, the NORTHERN JUPITER, with a capacity of up to 8,814 TEU, caught fire in the engine room on its way from Singapore to Port Klang! The container ship caught fire in the early morning of January 4, and by February 5, the delay had exceeded one month!

Moreover, according to the public data of the major shipping schedules, in addition to CMA CGM, APL, ANL and CNC, the shipping companies that share the cabin on this ship may also include: Maersk, SAFMARINE, COSCO SHIPPING, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE, Hamburg Süd. The Souhang.com team sorted out multiple sources of ship information and found that after the container fire accident, for a period of up to one month, the NORTHERN JUPITER, which has a capacity of up to 8814Teu and many shipping companies sharing the cabin, has been stranded in Singapore waters for various reasons! The ship is currently at anchor. It is reported that on January 10, it was towed and towed back to Singapore, and remained in the original position until January 23. As of press time yesterday, the shipping schedule has not been updated!

Epidemic attention and protection

1. Is remdesivir effective in treating more than 700 moderately and severely ill patients?

Rumors debunked! This is fake news! In fact, the drug only arrived in Wuhan at 3 pm on February 6th. How could it be effective for 700 people? It is said that it was a group of stock speculators who spread rumors and released fake news unscrupulously. There is no such thing. Xinhua News Agency released a message saying: With the support of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Health Commission, the National Medical Products Administration and other departments, the antiviral drug remdesivir has completed the registration and approval of clinical trials, and the first batch of cases has been enrolled. The first batch of severe pneumonia patients infected with the new coronavirus will receive medication on February 6th.

2. People's Congress representatives suggested that Shenzhen extend the holiday and resume work on February 17

Shenzhen's manufacturing industry and crowded enterprises may face severe epidemic prevention and control situations. It is recommended to extend the Spring Festival holiday for another week and resume work on February 17. "As the epidemic caused by the new coronavirus pneumonia continues to spread, Guangdong Provincial People's Congress Representative Wang Hai and 14 other representatives submitted the "Emergency Suggestions on Proposing Shenzhen to Continue to Extend the Spring Festival Holiday in a Step-by-Step Manner to Response to the New Coronavirus Pneumonia" the day before yesterday, suggesting that Shenzhen extend the holiday again and wait until the epidemic is relatively safe before fully reorganizing and developing industries.

3. Tips for protection

l Not all disinfectants are effective. 75% concentration of medical alcohol is the most effective. Do not spray alcohol in large quantities on infants and adults to prevent alcohol allergies; be careful with open flames to prevent fires;

l84 Disinfectant liquid, bleaching powder, chlorine-containing disinfectant powder or chlorine-containing effervescent tablets are all chlorine-containing disinfectants. They can be directly diluted and placed in plastic containers for disinfection and sterilization. When using, be sure to avoid the skin, mouth and nose;

l Physical heating disinfection, such as tableware, toys, baby bottles and other small items, can be disinfected by boiling for more than 30 minutes or steaming for 5 minutes;

lThe thicker the mask, the better. Medical surgical masks feel thinner, but the protective effect is very good. The three layers of water-blocking layer, filter layer and moisture-absorbing layer effectively block the invasion of viruses;

lMedical surgical masks have been disinfected before leaving the factory and can be worn directly. They cannot be reused after being ironed with an electric steam iron;

l Wash your hands frequently, and clean and disinfect items that family members frequently touch every day.

(Source: Cross-border Live)