On June 8, 2021, the White House released its report analyzing the risks associated with supply chains for four key U.S. sectors – semiconductor manufacturing and advanced packaging; large capacity batteries; critical minerals and materials; and pharmaceuticals and advanced pharmaceutical ingredients.  The report, Building Resilient Supply Chains, Revitalizing American Manufacturing, and Fostering Broad-Based Growth,…

On June 9, 2021, President Joseph Biden issued an Executive Order (E.O.) to further address the threat posed to the U.S. information and communications technology and services (ICTS) supply chain declared in Executive Order 13873 (the “Telecom Supply Chain E.O.”; see Update of May 16, 2019).  The June 9, 2021 E.O. also revoked and…

On June 3, 2021, President Biden issued Executive Order 14032, “Addressing the Threat from Securities Investments that Finance Certain Companies of the People’s Republic of China” (EO). The EO supersedes the executive orders targeting “Communist Chinese Military Companies” that the Trump administration issued. Specifically, it revises Sections 1 through 5 of Executive Order 13959…

On June 6, the European Commission adopted new Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) to enable organizations to transfer personal data outside the European Union (EU) in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The new SCCs are intended to address the complex data processing issues that impact modern businesses, and they impose several novel obligations…

On June 1, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), representing U.S. government defendants, filed its dispositive motion – a motion to dismiss and, in the alternative, a motion for judgment on the agency record – in litigation at the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) involving the potential refund of Section 301 tariffs placed…

On June 2, 2021, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced the conclusion of its Section 301 investigations of Digital Service Taxes (DSTs) that have been adopted by Austria, India, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom. For each country, USTR determined that it would take action in the form of additional duties…

On May 28, 2021, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a press release announcing that the CBP had issued a Withhold Release Order (WRO) for imports of seafood products from Dalian Ocean Fishing Co., Ltd., a Chinese entity, “based on information that reasonably indicates the use of forced labor in the entity’s fishing…

The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) on June 1, 2021 announced that a final rule from January 2020, which moved 3D-printed guns out from control under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) over to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), is now in effect. See Federal Register notice of January 23, 2020…

On June 1, 2021, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued Venezuela-related General License 8H, “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…