The European Commission released a compliance guide for dual-use trade controls that details “common approaches” to compliance programs and lays out a “framework” to help exporters minimize risks, the commission said in an Aug. 5 notice. The guide outlines seven “core elements” that are “cornerstones for a company’s tailor made” internal compliance program: top-level management commitment to compliance; organizational structure responsibilities and resources; training and awareness raising; transaction screening processes and procedures; performance, review audits, reporting and corrective actions; recordkeeping and documentation; and physical and information security. For each element, the guide contains a “What is expected?” section and “What are the steps involved?” section to help companies assess their own programs. The guide emphasizes that the “most important aspect” of developing compliance programs is ensuring they’re “relevant to the company's organisation and activities,” easy to follow and “capture the day-to-day operations and procedures.”

Vietnam is banning imports of 13 types of “scrap” because of environmental pollution, according to an Aug. 5 report from Vietnam Customs’ mouthpiece CustomsNews. The banned scraps include: gypsum, silk, “chemical elements for use in electronics,” vonfram, molypden, magie, titan, zircon, antimon, crom, “reboilded ingot waste,” plastic waste and scrap plastics from polymers styrene, the report said.

The U.S. designated China as a currency manipulator, saying the country has been trying to gain an “unfair competitive advantage in international trade,” the Department of the Treasury said in an Aug. 5 press release. Treasury said China has “taken concrete steps to devalue its currency” in “recent days” and said China has openly acknowledged that “it has extensive experience manipulating its currency and remains prepared to do so on an ongoing basis.” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will work with the International Monetary Fund to “eliminate” the unfair advantage created by China's latest actions, the press release said.

Singapore Customs issued a circular outlining changes and new requirements for rules of origin and certification procedures under revised regulations of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area, Singapore said in an Aug. 6 notice. The circular describes the requirements that have to be met for goods to be qualified as originating goods, and details the expansion to the list of “Product Specific Rules” and the inclusion of a de minimis provision. Singapore said the new requirements will take effect Aug. 15.

China and Colombia signed a memorandum of understanding on e-commerce “cooperation,” including e-commerce trade promotion, China’s Ministry of Commerce said in an Aug. 1 press release. The countries aim to trade “high-quality specialty products in their respective countries through e-commerce” while also doing “joint research,” “personnel training” and “policy development.”

The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security denied a man export privileges after he was convicted of illegally exporting a “barrel and breech casing” for a Glock carbine pistol to Latvia, Commerce said Aug. 5. Michael Shapovalov, who was sentenced to 34 months in prison after his May 2018 conviction for violating the Arms Export Control Act, is banned from exporting from the U.S. until May 23, 2025.

The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security denied a man export privileges after he was convicted in August 2018 of helping to illegally export about 1,000 rounds of ammunition from the U.S. to Mexico in violation of the Arms Export Control Act, Commerce said Aug. 5. Juan Jesus De La Rosa was sentenced to 27 months in prison and three years of supervised release for aiding and abetting the export and trying to export the ammunition, which were designated as defense items on the U.S. Munitions List and required a State Department license. De La Rosa is banned from exporting from the U.S. until Aug. 28, 2028.

The Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security denied a woman export privileges after she was convicted of illegally exporting space communication technology from the U.S. to Hong Kong in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, Commerce said Aug. 5. Si Chen was convicted in October 2018 and sentenced to 46 months in prison and three years of supervised release. She is banned from exporting items from the U.S. until Oct. 10, 2028, Commerce said.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a set of frequently asked questions and amended the Iranian Financial Sanctions Regulations to implement a May executive order that imposed sanctions on Iran iron, steel, aluminum and copper, OFAC said in a notice scheduled to be published in the Aug. 7 Federal Register. The executive order was intended to cut off revenue streams from Iran’s metals sectors that fund the country’s nuclear weapons program, the notice said. The amendments to the sanctions regulations change the heading “Iranian Human Rights Abuses Sanctions Regulations” to the “Iranian Sector and Human Rights Abuses Sanctions Regulations” to reflect U.S. sanctions on Iran’s metal sectors.

Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for July 29 - Aug. 2 in case they were missed.