On October 1, 2021, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced that the United States and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnam) reached an agreement resolving the Section 301 investigation into Vietnam’s alleged import and use of timber illegally harvested or traded. The investigation was initiated in October 2020 by former President…

On September 29, 2021, the Coalition of Freight Coupler Producers, consisting of Amsted Rail Company, Inc. and McConway & Torley LLC (“Petitioners”), filed petitions with the U.S. Department of Commerce (“Commerce”) and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) seeking antidumping and countervailing duties on imports of freight rail coupler (FRC) systems and components from the…

On September 29, 2021, the inaugural meeting of the United States–European Union Trade and Technology Council (TTC) met to discuss and establish “common principles to update the rules for the 21st century economy.” Attending were U.S. Co-Chairs, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai, and…

On September 24, 2021, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued a notice seeking public comment and input from domestic and foreign semiconductor design firms, semiconductor manufacturers, materials and equipment suppliers, and semiconductor intermediate and end-users regarding ongoing risks in the semiconductor supply chain. The goal of this public comment request…

On September 21, 2021, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) initiated an investigation to determine the effects on U.S. national security of imports of neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets (sometimes referred to as neodymium magnets, neo magnets, or rare earth magnets). According to a Commerce press release, “critical national security systems rely on NdFeB permanent magnets, including…

On September 27, 2021, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced that it was again continuing exclusions from Section 301 duties for certain medical care imports from China needed to address the COVID-19 pandemic. These exclusions were set to expire on September 30, 2021 (see Update of March 8, 2021), but…

On September 24, 2021, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued two general licenses (GL) intending to alleviate the impact of U.S. sanctions on civilians in Afghanistan. Specifically, OFAC issued GL 14 “Authorizing Humanitarian Activities in Afghanistan” and GL 15 “Transactions Related to the Exportation or Reexportation of Agricultural Commodities, Medicine, Medical Devices, Replacement Parts…

Ransomware attacks have been increasing, forcing many businesses to choose between paying a ransom and losing access to their confidential and proprietary data or information networks and systems.

On September 21, the Department of the Treasury issued an updated advisory that highlights potential sanctions risks for companies that directly make or otherwise facilitate ransomware payments…

On September 20, 2021, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) published in the Federal Register amended regulations to improve its administration and enforcement of the antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) laws. The AD/CVD laws are intended to provide relief to domestic industries, including businesses, workers, farmers and ranchers, from the injurious effects of unfairly traded…

On September 17, 2021, President Biden issued an Executive Order (EO), “Imposing Sanctions on Certain Persons with Respect to the Humanitarian and Human Rights Crisis in Ethiopia,” targeting persons responsible for the conflict in Ethiopia, obstructing humanitarian access and preventing a ceasefire. The White House issued a statement in connection with the new sanctions indicating…