Taiwan national Pen Yu was sentenced Aug. 2 to three years and eight months in prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud in a scheme to defraud a German biochemical company and divert biochemical products to China using "falsified export documents," DOJ announced. Yu was sentenced by a federal court in Florida, which also ordered the forfeiture of the proceeds of the scheme, which amounted to $100,000.
Exports to China
The Senate Appropriations Committee is concerned that Chinese Communist Party-backed companies may be “exploiting” the U.S. bankruptcy process to obtain American companies’ sensitive and proprietary information, the panel wrote in a new report accompanying its version of the FY 2025 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act.
A new U.S. rule expected this month could expand restrictions on foreign exports of certain chip equipment to China but exclude chipmakers in the Netherlands, Japan and South Korea, Reuters reported July 31.
The U.S. sanctioned two more people and four companies in China and Yemen that have helped procure weapons for the Yemen-based Houthis, allowing the group to continue attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea and civilians in Israel, the Treasury Department said this week.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., introduced a bill this week aimed at countering the use of alternative financial systems by China, Russia and other "countries of concern" to evade U.S. sanctions.
Companies should expect the Treasury Department to aggressively penalize violators of its upcoming outbound investment prohibitions relatively soon after those rules are finalized, lawyers with Kirkland & Ellis said this week. They also said American chip companies and other technology firms are considering inserting new outbound investment-related warranties in their contracts and may start pulling out of existing investment deals that could soon be captured by the new prohibitions.
The Biden administration continues to consider imposing additional sanctions to reduce China’s export of dual-use goods to Russia’s defense industrial base, a State Department official told a congressional panel July 30.
The U.K. this week updated its antidumping duties on high fatigue performance steel concrete rebar from China to "reflect updated commodity codes." The duties range from 18.4% to 22.5%, with all non-individually examined exporters receiving the 22.5% rate. The U.K. Global Tariff commodity codes applicable are as follows:
China will increase and revise export controls on certain drones, drone parts, infrared imaging equipment and other dual-use items and technology, the country’s Commerce Ministry announced July 31. The new controls, which take effect Sept. 1, name certain drone engines, radar, lasers, “inertial measurement devices,” radio communication equipment, anti-jamming equipment and more, according to an unofficial translation. Exporters will have to apply for and receive licenses for certain shipments, and violators could face both administrative and criminal penalties.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., introduced several bills this week targeting human rights violations and foreign investment by China.