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Grant Leach

Grant focuses his practice on international trade, international compliance, securities, mergers, acquisitions and general corporate matters.

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The Biden Administration has taken new actions related to forced labor in the Xinjiang region that may affect the supply for material critical for solar panels: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a Withhold Release Order (WRO), the Department of Commerce (Commerce) updated its Entity List, and the Department of Labor (Labor) updated its “List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor.”  These updates are part of an increased emphasis on both forced labor issues and a crackdown on goods from China’s Xinjiang province, and come on the heels of the G7 Summit that was held in mid-June.  The White House indicated that the Administration’s actions are a “translation” of the commitments made at the G7 denouncing forced labor in the Xinjiang region.

On January 23, 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) and the U.S. Department of State issued two final rules, available here and here.  The final rules outlined the removal of specifically-identified firearms, ammunition, accessories, and associated technical data from the United States Munitions List (“USML”) and the creation…

Recently, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) sanctioned various individuals and entities connected to Russia’s technology sector and also expanded sanctions against dealings in Russian sovereign debt.  In addition to these immediate actions, President Biden also issued a new Executive Order which will significantly expand OFAC’s authority to impose future sanctions…

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) issued final rules amending the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”) by implementing new export controls on Burma (Myanmar), and adding four entities linked to the recent coup to the Entity List.  These final rules effective March 8, 2021 come less than a month after President…

The merging of Hong Kong with China with respect to Hong Kong’s treatment under the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”) is now reflected in the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security’s Hong Kong recordkeeping guidance.  On February 19, 2021, BIS updated its Hong Kong recordkeeping FAQs to make that guidance consistent with the final rule BIS issued on December 23, 2020 implementing Executive Order 13936 (the “E.O.”).  The E.O. was signed in the wake of U.S. objections to Chinese government national security legislation imposed on Hong Kong in 2020, which outlaws any act of “secession,” “terrorism,” or “collusion” with a foreign power.

On February 1, 2021, the military of Burma (Myanmar) in an unanticipated coup d’état installed General Min Aung Hlaing as leader and detained the country’s top elected leaders, including the President and Prime Minister. In response, on February 10, 2021, President Biden issued Executive Order 14014 (the “E.O.”) authorizing the U.S. Department of Treasury’s (“Treasury”)…

The U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) published regulations in the Federal Register on January 15, 2021 to implement Executive Order 13936 (“E.O. 13936”), titled “The President’s Executive Order on Hong Kong Normalization.”  The President determined on July 14, 2020 in E.O. 13936 that Hong Kong was no longer sufficiently autonomous…

On January 19, 2021, the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) published a long-awaited interim final rule to address the use of goods or services sourced from “foreign adversaries” in the U.S. supply chain for information communications technology and services (ICTS) transactions. When the interim final rule (ICTS Rules) take effect on March 20, 2021, they will enable the U.S. Secretary of Commerce (the Secretary) to block any ICTS transaction involving goods or services designed, developed, manufactured or supplied from “foreign adversaries” or companies organized in a “foreign adversary” country, conducting operations in a “foreign adversary” country or otherwise subject to the direction or control of a “foreign adversary.” These rules will have especially broad application, but Commerce has also indicated that it will continue to accept comments on the rules for the next 60 days. Commerce will also publish procedures for a “safe harbor” licensing program within the next 60 days and will then implement that licensing program within the next 120 days. Therefore, concerned parties still have an opportunity to submit feedback on the ICTS Rules and also have some remaining time to evaluate whether their transactions or activities might require licensing from Commerce.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) has issued a final rule amending the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”) to add 77 entities to the Entity List.  This rule took effect on Friday, December 18, 2020 when BIS made a copy available for public inspection on the Federal Register website.

As a…

The U.S. Department of State (“State Department”) announced the imposition of sanctions on Turkey’s Presidency of Defense Industries (“SSB”) pursuant to Section 231 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (“CAATSA”). The U.S. is sanctioning SSB over its procurement of the S-400 surface-to-air missile system from Russia’s Rosoboronexport (“ROE”). SSB is Turkey’s primary defense procurement entity and ROE is Russia’s main exporter of arms. As a result of Turkey’s actions, the U.S. is imposing full blocking sanctions on four SSB officials along with certain non-blocking CAATSA sanctions on the SSB entity.