China last week imposed sanctions against U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., for frequently making "remarks and actions that interfere in China's internal affairs and undermine China's sovereignty, security and development interests," China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, according to an unofficial translation. The ministry said it will impose an asset freeze and travel ban on McGovern.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said July 8 that he hopes to have a "significant package of China-related legislation" signed into law this year, including measures to "punish" Chinese military firms that provide material support to Russia and Iran.
The EU on June 20 agreed to a 14th package of Russia sanctions that will continue targeting Russia’s oil trade, designate various entities and people for their ties to Russia, and tighten restrictions against a so-called shadow fleet of vessels moving Russian oil below the price cap set by the Group of 7 nations and others (see 2405150025).
TikTok last week denied a Reuters report that it's developing an operationally independent U.S. version of the social media application that Chinese parent company ByteDance could then sell to a non-Chinese owner.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control revised its Cuba sanctions this week to loosen restrictions on a range of activities and transactions, including for certain financial and internet services. Some changes will allow certain Cuban nationals to open and remotely use U.S. bank accounts and will authorize certain Cuba-related remittances and payments that were restricted by the Trump administration.
The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued a new advisory this week to alert industry about the ways Iran-backed terrorist organizations are illegally circumventing or using the international financial system to raise, move and spend money. The advisory also includes a list of red flags to help banks and other financial institutions catch suspicious activity that may be linked to those groups.
TikTok asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit May 7 to overturn a recently enacted law that will ban the popular social media application in the United States if China’s ByteDance doesn't sell the app to an entity that isn’t controlled by a foreign adversary.
Turkey has suspended trade with Israel because of the country’s ongoing military action in Gaza, Turkey’s trade ministry announced last week, according to an unofficial translation. It said it has “decided to move to a new phase in economic relations with Israel,” including restrictions on exports and imports, until Israel reaches a “permanent ceasefire” with Hamas and allows “uninterrupted access of aid” to Gaza.
President Joe Biden signed into law April 24 a wide-ranging national security bill that will, among other things, ban TikTok in the U.S. if China’s ByteDance doesn't sell the popular social media application to an entity that isn’t controlled by a foreign adversary (see 2404220041 and 2404180020).
The Senate on April 23 plans to begin considering a House-passed bill that would ban TikTok in the U.S. unless China’s ByteDance divests the popular social media application (see 2404180020).