On January 1, 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will open the Voluntary Qualified Importer Program (VQIP) for FY 2023. Participants in the fee-based program receive expedited review of animal and human foods entering the United States. Specifically, an import screening tool will be used to recognize and typically immediately release shipments that are…

On December 21, 2021, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released its annual report submitted to Congress assessing Russia’s implementation and enforcement of its World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments. In keeping with the tone of past annual USTR reports on this topic, Ambassador Katherine Tai, the USTR, stated that the 2021 report…

On December 16, 2021, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced it was placing another eight Chinese technology firms on its Non-SDN Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies List (CMIC List). This action was taken pursuant to Executive Order 13959 (as amended by Executive Order 14032), which prohibits U.S. persons from conducting…

On December 9, 2021, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced that it was amending the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to apply more restrictive treatment to exports and reexports to, and transfers within, Cambodia of items subject to the EAR.  BIS stated that it is taking this action “to address recent…

On December 15, 2021, President Joseph Biden signed “Executive Order on Imposing Sanctions on Foreign Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade,” an order finding that “the trafficking into the United States of illicit drugs, including fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, is causing the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans annually,…

On December 10, 2021, the United States joined Australia, Denmark and Norway in announcing the Export Controls and Human Rights Initiative in recognition that “advanced technologies are a vital part of global economic growth and communication, helping people become more interconnected, share knowledge, and advance freedom, democracy, and opportunity” while also acknowledging that authoritarian governments…

On December 10, 2021, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned 15 individuals and 10 entities in several countries for their connection to human rights abuse and repression. In addition, OFAC imposed investment restrictions on one Chinese company in connection with the surveillance technology sector

In China, OFAC has placed…

On December 9, 2021, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions on two individuals for corruption involving procurement during the pandemic. The Department of the Treasury stated that “Corruption involving procurement of life-saving medical supplies represents a profound betrayal of public trust and a waste of critically needed resources.” Government officials in El…

On December 2, 2021, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the expansion of sanctions against Belarus in response to the Lukashenka regime’s continued “disregard for international norms.” The actions taken by OFAC pursuant to Executive Orders 14038 and 13405 include 35 new designations to the Specially Designated Nationals and…

On November 24, 2021, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued Venezuela-related General License 8I, “Authorizing Transactions Involving Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA) Necessary for the Limited Maintenance of Essential Operations in Venezuela or the Wind Down of Operations in Venezuela for Certain Entities.” This general license continues to…