The Census Bureau won't follow through with a rule to eliminate some export reporting requirements for shipments to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (see 2009160033 and 2112140052), saying it couldn’t find an alternative data source to replace the information that would no longer have been submitted by exporters. The decision, released Feb. 3, came after months of both interagency and public discussions, including heavy lobbying from parts of the U.S. shipping industry, which argued the requirements were costly, burdensome and unfair.
Turkey recently granted its agriculture ministry the authority to restrict exports of 20 agricultural products in an effort to lower domestic food inflation, USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service said in a Jan. 28 report. As of the report, USDA said the ministry hasn’t yet limited the exports but could decide to impose the restrictions in the future, “depending on local market conditions.” The authority, which is valid through Dec. 31, could apply to potatoes, tomatoes, onions, garlic, lemons, various meats, eggs and other foods.
The United Kingdom took a series of sanctions actions on Feb. 2, delisting one from its Iran (Human Rights) sanctions regime and amending an entry on the Venezuela and Libya sanctions lists. In one notice, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation took Mohammad Hejazi, former head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Sarollah Corps in Tehran, off its Iranian sanctions list. In two other notices, OFSI amended the entries of Elvis Eduardo Amoroso, under the Venezuela sanctions regime, and Saadi Qadhafi, under the Libya sanctions regime.
The State Department’s Defense Trade Advisory Group is accepting membership applications from subject matter experts in the U.S. defense industry, the agency said in a notice. Members serve a consecutive two-year term and submit recommendations to improve the agency’s export control regime. Applications must be emailed or postmarked by Feb. 25.
Two senators this week asked the Commerce Department to say whether it opposes stronger export controls against SMIC, China’s top chipmaker, as has been reported in the media, and to explain why.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued seven new frequently asked questions to provide more guidance on humanitarian shipments to Afghanistan. The new FAQs, issued Feb. 3, clarify aspects of general licenses 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 for authorized assistance by nongovernmental organizations and international organizations within Afghanistan that may involve transactions with the Taliban. These forms of assistance include cash shipments, bank transactions, support for municipal water systems that "directly benefit the Afghan people," and salary support for teachers and healthcare workers "even to the extent doing so would involve transacting with the Taliban and/or Haqqani Network."
The House will consider multiple sanctions and export control amendments submitted as part of its China competition bill (see 2201310064), including one that could adjust the Commerce Department's export control authority, several that could require more scrutiny on Chinese foreign investments and at least two that could lead to new China sanctions.
The Bureau of Industry and Security issued a Feb. 3 final rule to reorganize, make corrections and clarify the scope of its foreign direct product rules. The changes, mentioned in the agency’s fall 2021 regulatory agenda (see 2112210044), help to clarify where and how the FDP rules apply and make some corrections to language in the Export Administration Regulations.
The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation added three individuals to its Myanmar sanctions list in a Jan. 31 regulation. Thida Oo, Myanmar attorney general; Thein Soe, Union Election Commission chair; and Tin Oo, Anti-Corruption Commission in Myanmar chair, will now be subject to an asset freeze and travel ban. Separately, OFSI amended the entry for former Special Forces Commander Saadi Qadhafi, under its Libya sanctions regime, still subjecting him to an asset freeze.
Russia imposed travel bans on representatives of European Union member states in response to the bloc's sanctions on Russia, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced, according to an unofficial translation. The number of sanctioned individuals is unknown, as are the names of the sanctioned parties. The notice specified that the listed individuals include European private military company leaders, law enforcement representatives, and legislative and executive agencies of various member states. The EU's sanctions are "hypocritical," seeing as the EU purportedly imposes the norms of its legislation "everywhere," Russia's Foreign Ministry said. "The European Union deplores the decision by Russian authorities, announced on Friday, to ban an unknown number of representatives of EU Member States and institutions from entry into Russia," the EU responded in a statement Jan. 28. "This decision lacks any legal justification and transparency and will meet an appropriate response. With it, Russia continues to fuel a climate of tensions in Europe instead of contributing to de-escalation."