2020

The Department of Commerce has issued a Federal Register notice seeking public comment on (1) the appropriateness of the information its Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) requested and considered in applying the Section 232 exclusion criteria to product exclusion requests, and (2) the efficiency and transparency of the product exclusion process itself. This request…

On May 26, 2020, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published a Federal Register notice seeking public comment, data analyses, and other relevant information concerning the Department of Commerce’s May 6 initiation of a national security investigation into the impact of imports of mobile cranes pursuant to Section 232 of the…

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a Federal Register notice exempting Section 301 import tariffs for certain List 3 products from China (imports from China with an annual trade value of $200 billion). The exemptions cover 17 ten-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) subheadings and 61 specially prepared product descriptions, which cover…

In collaboration with our foreign law firm partners, we continue to update our chart of COVID-19 measures taken by governments around the world. The government measures in the chart include economic measures, labor and employment measures, health and safety measures, and export and import measures.

View/download the Country Guide: Government Measures in Response to COVID-19…

The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has issued an Interim Final Rule amending General Prohibition Three, also known as the foreign-produced direct product reexport rule, so that this General Prohibition applies to certain additional foreign-made items destined for certain persons designated with a new footnote on BIS’ Entity List. Specifically, this…

On May 19, 2020, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published a Federal Register notice seeking public comment, data analyses, and other relevant information pertaining to Commerce’s May 11 initiation of a national security investigation into imports of certain components for incorporation into transformers, electrical transformers and transformer regulators pursuant to…

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced that it will convene a virtual meeting  via teleconference and web conference on Thursday, May 21, 2020 from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. to discuss the terms of a voluntary agreement with industry aimed at “maximizing the effectiveness of the distribution of critical medical resources nationwide to respond…

Due to continuing concerns with Huawei Technologies and its non-U.S. affiliates accessing and using U.S. technology and software to design and manufacture its semiconductors, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) announced that it will further tighten export restrictions on the Chinese conglomerate. Commerce’s  Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) will amend its foreign-produced direct product rule…

On May 14, 2020, the U.S. Departments of State and Treasury and the U.S. Coast Guard issued a global advisory to alert the maritime industry and those active in the energy and metals sectors to deceptive shipping practices used to evade U.S. economic sanctions.  It is intended to provide exporters, shippers and others utilizing the…