The Office of Foreign Assets Control revised an entry under its Cuba sanctions regime, a July 30 notice said. The revision changes the entry for Havana International Bank to Havin Bank Limited to reflect a name change.
The European Union renewed its North Korea sanctions for one year, it said July 30. The sanctions include 59 people and nine entities for supporting North Korea’s weapons programs and for sanctions evasion.
The Bureau of Industry and Security on June 30 formally issued a notice with details (see 2007130018) of its June decision to suspend Hong Kong export licenses (see 2006300050 and 2006290063), outlining which licenses are impacted and reiterating the agency’s savings clauses for affected exports. BIS also said it is reviewing the Export Administration Regulations along with other agencies to “assess whether additional amendments are warranted.”
The U.S. is working on more measures to dissuade companies from doing business in China, administration officials said, including through financial incentives and more industry outreach about enforcement risks. Commerce Department official Nazak Nikakhtar and State Department official Keith Krach also said the administration is working to collaborate more with trading partners against China.
The United Kingdom issued a July 27 sanctions guidance for companies operating in the maritime shipping sector, detailing common illegal shipping practices, restrictions on trade with North Korea, Iran, Libya and Syria, and potential penalties. Similar to shipping guidance issued by the U.S. (see 2005140039), the U.K.’s version outlines red flags and common sanctions evasion practices, including ship-to-ship transfers, disabling of automatic identification systems (AIS) and false documentation. The guidance also urges U.K. companies and people to conduct due diligence, including AIS clauses in contracts, regular sanctions screening and frequent verifications of letters of credit and bills of lading. “The onus is on the organisation to ensure that it has put in place sufficient measures to ensure it does not breach financial sanctions,” the guidance said.
The Treasury and State departments on July 29 sanctioned four people and 10 entities for contributing to the conflict in Syria and for supporting the Syria regime through the construction of luxury real estate. The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned a Syrian businessman and nine entities, while State designated four people and one entity.
The State Department on July 28 designated Luis Alfredo Motta Dominguez, Venezuela’s former electric power minister, and Eustiquio Jose Lugo Gomez, a former Venezuela official in charge of finance, investment and strategic alliances. The two officials were sanctioned for accepting bribes and kickbacks in exchange for awarding contracts to Corpoelec, Venezuela’s state-owned electricity company. The State Department also designated members of each official’s immediate family.
The European Union imposed a range of restrictions against China for its actions in Hong Kong (see 2007130042), including export controls on “sensitive” equipment and technologies for end-use in Hong Kong, the EU said July 28. The EU will also not begin “any new negotiations” with Hong Kong and will consider more measures before year-end.
The U.S. should impose stricter export controls on advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment to prevent China from indigenizing semiconductor technologies, technology policy experts said. If the U.S. and allies successfully block China from importing and developing specialized software and advanced chips, they should then impose end-use and end-user controls to allow shipments only for civilian uses in China, the experts said.
China’s Ministry of Commerce criticized a U.S. decision on July 22 to add 11 Chinese entities to its Entity List (see 2007200026), calling it another case of “abused export controls,” a July 28 notice said, according to an unofficial translation. The sanctions are related to human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region. China said the move will cause “serious damage” to trade. “This is not good for China, not good for the United States, and not good for the whole world,” the ministry said. “China urges the U.S. to immediately stop its wrongdoing and will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.”