The European Commission recently added Mongolia to its list of countries under the European Union’s registered exporter system, according to a Jan. 3 KPMG post. The change allows Mongolia to participate in the EU’s system of certification of origin of goods that applies in the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program, according to the commission.
Japan will officially phase out its beef imports special safeguard and pork imports safeguard from World Trade Organization member countries beginning April 1, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report released Jan. 6. Japan said it is eliminating the safeguard because “virtually all imports” of beef and pork are now covered by trade agreements with “separate safeguard mechanisms,” but said a “special safeguard for pork will remain.”
China recently announced it will renew a program offering full value-added tax refunds on “domestic equipment purchases” by certain approved mainland companies and “foreign invested” research and development centers, according to a Jan. 3 report from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The foreign-invested companies must be approved by China’s Commerce Ministry, the report said. The VAT program will continue until Dec. 31, 2020.
The Congressional Research Service released a report Jan. 3 on issues and provisions surrounding the state-state dispute settlement mechanism in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, including explanations of the consultation, panel establishment and resolution process. The report also includes potential considerations for Congress, including whether it should use USMCA's dispute resolution system as a ”template” for future Trade Promotion Authority legislation.
The Department of Commerce denied Edgar Sanchez-Muro export privileges after he was convicted of violating the Arms Export Control Act by illegally exporting 980 rounds of ammunition from the U.S. to Mexico, Commerce said in a Dec. 31 notice. Sanchez-Muro was convicted June 19, 2019, and sentenced to one year in prison and a $100 fine. Commerce revoked Sanchez-Muro’s export privileges for five years from his date of conviction.
The Department of Commerce denied Resit Tavan’s export privileges after he was convicted of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions, Commerce said in a Dec. 31 notice. Tavan attempted to illegally export “specialized marine equipment” from the U.S. to Iran without the required license, Commerce said. He was convicted Aug. 29, 2019, and sentenced to 28 months in prison and a $100 fine. Commerce revoked Tavan’s export privileges for 10 years from his date of conviction.
The Department of Commerce denied Ruben Beltran-Ramos export privileges after he was convicted of violating the Arms Export Control Act, Commerce said in a Dec. 31 notice. Beltran-Ramos illegally exported 5,000 cartridges of ammunition from the U.S. to Mexico without a license, Commerce said. He was convicted Nov. 20, 2018, and sentenced to 26 months in prison and a $100 fine. Commerce revoked Beltran-Ramos’ export privileges for 10 years from his date of conviction.
The Trump administration successfully persuaded the Dutch government to not renew an export license for a Dutch chip manufacturer, which was poised to sell the technology to China, according to a Jan. 6 Reuters report. The administration “mounted an extensive campaign” to block the sale, which included lobbying from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House officials, who shared “classified intelligence” with the Netherlands’ prime minister, Reuters said. The campaign began in 2018 after the Netherlands granted an export license to ASML, a semiconductor equipment company, to sell “its most advanced machine” to a Chinese customer.
President Donald Trump threatened sanctions against Iraq following a Jan. 5 vote by the country's parliament to expel U.S. troops. The threat comes amid growing tension in the Middle East as Iran further decommitted from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and Europe scrambled to keep the deal from disintegrating, which could trigger European snapback sanctions against Iran.
Suzanne Kane and Chiara Klaui were named partners at Akin Gump, the law firm said in an emailed Jan. 3 news release. Kane's “work includes advising clients on mitigating the impact of the administration’s trade policies, particularly tariffs; representing clients in Customs and Border Protection enforcement actions, audits and internal investigations; counseling clients on intellectual property rights and forced labor compliance; and helping clients devise compliance programs.” the firm said. Klaui “is the go-to lawyer for clients seeking counsel on European Union (EU) export controls and trade sanctions and their interaction with, in particular, U.S. trade regulations.” Kane is based in Washington, while Klaui is in the firm's London office.