The U.S. and Canada this week designated the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, known as Samidoun, for being a “sham charity” that operates as an international fundraiser for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorist organization.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is soliciting public comments on the effectiveness of its export licensing procedures for agricultural commodities to Cuba, it said in a notice. The agency plans to include a “description” of any comments it receives in a report that it must submit every two years to Congress as part of the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000. Along with those comments, the report will include Cuba-related licensing data for the two-year period from Oct. 1, 2022, through Sept. 30, 2024. Comments are due Nov. 15.
The Bureau of Industry and Security recently updated a table on its website that lists which countries are eligible for License Exception Implemented Export Controls, an exception unveiled Sept. 5 that allows exporters to ship certain quantum computing items, chip machines and other advanced technologies without a license (see 2409050028). In a final rule, BIS said it updated the table on Sept. 17 by adding Denmark, Finland and Japan “to appropriate items in the table.” It also revised the table’s URL to be “shorter and simpler” and made other minor changes. The final rule is effective Oct. 16.
The Bureau of Industry and Security has completed a round of interagency review for a final rule that could remove export licensing requirements for certain spacecraft and related items destined to Australia, Canada and the U.K. BIS sent the rule to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Aug. 30 (see 2409030005), and the review was completed Oct. 10.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching for the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The U.S. will probably increase its use of sanctions and export controls no matter who wins the upcoming presidential election, although a Donald Trump-led administration would be more likely to pursue drastic measures that could accelerate U.S.-China decoupling, said Martin Chorzempa, a senior fellow with the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Those measures include expanding the use of the Bureau of Industry and Security’s foreign direct product rule or placing blocking sanctions on major Chinese companies such as Huawei.
The Bureau of Industry and Security appears to be making good on its pledge to step up export control enforcement to protect sensitive American technology from China, two former U.S. government officials said Oct. 15.
The Bureau of Industry and Security this week added eight companies to its Unverified List after it was unable to verify the “legitimacy and reliability” of the entities through end-use checks, including their ability to responsibly receive controlled U.S. exports. It also removed two companies from the list after BIS said it was able to successfully conduct end-use checks.
A bipartisan group of seven senators led by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., urged the Biden administration last week to speed up implementation of new Iran sanctions laws, including a measure aimed at curbing the country’s oil revenue.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is asking users of its website to fill out a survey that will give OFAC feedback on how it can streamline the site’s navigation and ensure users can get "the most current and relevant" sanctions data. The survey will also help in "informing the development of innovative applications and resources."