CBP will eliminate penalties for minor violations of Census Bureau export filing requirements as part of its upcoming electronic export manifest rollout, said Jim Swanson, director of CBP’s Cargo and Security Controls Division.
The European Parliament called on the United Nations Security Council to impose sanctions and a “comprehensive” arms embargo on anyone accused of human rights violations against the Rohingya population in Myanmar, the parliament said Sept. 19. The parliament called on the EU “to promote the adoption of a resolution on Myanmar” during the next UN Human Rights Council session.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a Sept. 23 notice reminding blocked-property holders to submit their Annual Report of Blocked Property by Sept. 30. A report must be submitted of all blocked property held as of June 30, OFAC said.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced a $4 million settlement with British Arab Commercial Bank plc for 72 violations of the Sudanese Sanctions Regulations, OFAC said in a Sept. 17 notice.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced sanctions on Iran two days after President Donald Trump instructed the Treasury to increase pressure on the country. The sanctions target the Central Bank of Iran, the National Development Fund of Iran and Etemad Tejarate Pars Co. for funding Iran’s military and contributing to terrorism, Treasury said in a Sept. 20 press release.
It may only be a matter of time before countries create a trade payment system to avoid U.S. sanctions, said David Mortlock, a trade lawyer and senior fellow with the Atlantic Council.
A House bill would increase export controls on defense items to Hong Kong police, including “nonlethal crowd control items.” The bill, introduced Sept. 10, would require the Trump administration to restrict export license approvals of certain “covered defense articles and services” to the Hong Kong Disciplined Services. If the bill is passed, the covered items would be determined by the Commerce and State departments and sent in a report to Congress. The bill mentions “water cannon trucks, tear gas, rubber bullets, sponge grenades, beanbag rounds, batons, pepper spray, pepper balls and projectile launchers,” as possible options. “I am deeply concerned that American-made police equipment is being used to violently crack down on peaceful protesters in Hong Kong,” Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., who helped introduce the bill, said in a statement. “We ought not to allow American companies to sell this equipment to foreign governments when we see evidence that it is being used for immoral and unjust purposes.” The bill is titled the “Placing Restrictions on Teargas Exports and Crowd Control Technology to Hong Kong Act,” or the PROTECT Hong Kong Act.
A Senate bill would increase export controls on electronic waste and ban exports and re-exports of the waste without a government authorization. The bill, S. 2448, introduced Sept. 9, would also require any approved electronic waste exports to only be exported for “reclamation, recall, or reuse.” Exporters would also have to file certain information in the Automated Export System, including a description and quantity of the exempted waste, the name of each country that will receive the waste, the name of the ultimate consignee and documentation that proves the consignee has “the necessary permits, resources, and competence to manage the exempted electronic waste items,” the bill said. Violators of the proposed regulations would face the same penalties as violators of the Export Administration Regulations. The bill is aimed at preventing the waste from becoming “the source of counterfeit goods that may reenter military and civilian electronics supply chains” in the U.S.
The British government apologized after breaking a court ruling banning it from granting export licenses for defense goods to Saudi Arabia. In a Sept. 16 letter to the United Kingdom Committees on Arms Export Controls, Trade Secretary Lizz Truss said the U.K. allowed two “inadvertent breaches” of the license ban.
The World Trade Organization on Sept. 16 released South Korea’s most recent complaint against Japan in which it requests consultations over the two sides’ trade dispute. The document, dated Sept. 11, outlines South Korea’s issues with Japan’s export restrictions on three chemicals used in the manufacturing of smartphones, TV displays and semiconductors. South Korea said Japan’s restrictions were politically motivated and “unrelated to any legitimate export control considerations.” South Korea also said Japan’s additional moves, including its decision to remove South Korea from a list of trusted trading partners, has caused “unnecessary delay” and “increased scrutiny” for products destined for South Korea. South Korea said it hopes to find a “mutually acceptable date for consultations” with Japan to address the issues.