As part of the U.S. Government’s ongoing response to the military coup in Burma (Myanmar), the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) added four entities to the Entity List effective July 6, 2021 and the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) added twenty-two individuals to the Specially Designated Nationals
Earlier this month, the US Government updated its ongoing response to what the Department of Commerce (“Commerce”) described as “Beijing’s campaign of repression, mass detention, and high-technology surveillance against Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and members of other Muslim minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Regions of China (“XUAR”), where the [People’s Republic of China] continues to
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 Department of Defense (“DoD”) requested industry comments by April 28, 2021 to assist with the DoD’s forthcoming report identifying risks and policy recommendations regarding the supply chain for strategic and critical materials. The Apr. 13, 2021 Federal Register notice notes “the need for resilient, diverse, and secure supply chains to ensure U.S. economic prosperity
Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo recently announced that the Department of Commerce (“Commerce”) had served subpoenas on multiple Chinese companies that provide information and communications technology and services (“ICTS”) in the United States pursuant to Executive Order 13873 (“EO 13873”). While it is unknown which companies were served or how many, Commerce’s recent action
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”)