Effective December 16, 2022, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued a Final Rule adding 36 Chinse entities to BIS’s Entity List. These additions are intended to further restrict China’s “ability to leverage artificial intelligence, advanced computing, and other powerful, commercially available technologies for military modernization and human rights abuses,” according
BIS Places More Russian Companies on Entity List and Sanctions Alleged Procurement Network
Effective December 16, 2022, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued a Final Rule announcing that it was moving nine Russian companies from the Unverified List to the more restrictive Entity List. BIS stated it has continuously been unable to verify the bona fides of these companies due to the Russian
OFAC Sanctions Additional Russian Financial Institutions and Persons
On December 15, 2022, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that it was adding Russian banks and financial services entities as well as additional Russian persons to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List in order to further isolate Russia from global markets. For additional information on these entities and
U.S. and AfCFTA Members Sign MOU on Trade Cooperation
On December 14, 2022, the United States and African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat (AfCFTA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation for Trade and Investment between the United States and the African Continental Free Trade Area (MOU). The MOU was signed by U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai and AfCFTA Secretary General Wamkele Mene during
DDTC Issues New ITAR Compliance Guidelines
On December 5, 2022, the Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) released updated Compliance Program Guidelines that provide an overview of what it considers an effective compliance program. The document also provides both an introduction to the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and the manufacturing
Treasury Sanctions Network of Chinese Fishing Vessels for Serious Human Rights Abuses
On December 9, 2022, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned two Chinese individuals and a vast network fishing vessels they control, including Pingtan Marine Enterprise Ltd. (PME) and Dalian Ocean Fishing Co., Ltd. (Dalian), for perpetrating serious human rights abuses and corruption via illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Although
Plaintiffs File Final Reply to Defendants’ Response on Remand Determination in Section 301 Tariff Refund Litigation
On December 5, 2022, the plaintiff group filed its final reply to the government defendants’ response on the remand determination of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) in the ongoing Court of International Trade (CIT) litigation challenging the validity of Section 301 tariffs on certain imports of Chinese products. This final reply continued
Treasury Announces Price Cap on Russian Oil
On December 2, 2022, the Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) issued a Determination pursuant to Executive Order 14071 of April 6, 2022 imposing a price cap of $60 per barrel on seaborne crude oil of Russian origin, effective December 5, 2022. Thus, companies can purchase and/or provide services related to the maritime transport of Russian-origin
Treasury Issues Determination Prohibiting Certain Services Related to the Maritime Transportation of Russian Crude Oil
On November 21, 2022, the Department of the Treasury issued a Determination pursuant to Executive Order 14071 (prohibiting new investment in and the provision of certain services to the Russian Federation, see Update of April 7, 2022), that prohibits the following categories of services related to the maritime transport of crude oil of Russian
CBP Adds New Forced Labor Benefits to CTPAT Trade Compliance Program
On November 18, 2022, Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) director Manual Garza announced that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) added three new forced labor benefits for its trade compliance partners “to the greatest extent possible and practical effective immediately.” These benefits include:
- Front of the Line Admissibility Review: CTPAT trade compliance members who have