The Office of Foreign Assets Control on June 30 officially removed sanctions from 518 people and entities with ties to Syria after President Donald Trump signed an executive order authorizing the easing of both sanctions and certain export restrictions against the country (see 2506300055).

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Companies could see a significant uptick in compliance responsibilities if the Bureau of Industry and Security follows through with a possible 50% rule for parties on the Entity List, although it’s unclear when exactly such a rule could take effect, former BIS officials said this week.

Scott Wise, former assistant general counsel for global trade at Microsoft, has joined Crowell & Moring as a partner in the international trade group, the firm announced. At Microsoft, Wise was the lead attorney on economic sanctions and outbound investment issues regarding emerging technologies, such as AI and quantum computing, the firm said.

The Federal Maritime Commission is asking for public comments on several information collections related to marine terminal operator schedules, service contracts, non-vessel-operating common carrier service arrangements and negotiated rate agreements. Comments are due July 31, it said in a Federal Register notice.

Departing Federal Maritime Commission Chair Louis Sola criticized a new global emissions framework adopted earlier this year by the International Maritime Organization's Marine Environment Protection Committee, saying it will "unfairly" tax American cargo on the high seas. Sola suggested the rules should be investigated.

Japan imposed definitive antidumping duties on graphite electrodes from China on June 27, the Ministry of Finance announced. The duties will be imposed at a 95.2% rate following a finding that Chinese graphite electrodes injure the Japanese industry. They will be in effect for a five-year period starting July 3.

China is renewing its antidumping duties on stainless steel billets and stainless steel hot-rolled plates and coils from the EU, the U.K., South Korea and Indonesia, the country's Ministry of Commerce said June 30, according to an unofficial translation. The duties, which will remain in place for five years beginning July 1, include a 43% duty on EU and U.K. companies; a 103.1% duty on Korean companies, along with a 23.1% rate for South Korea-based Posco; and a 20.2% rate for Indonesian companies. Beijing said it renewed the duties, first imposed in 2019, to protect its domestic stainless steel industries.

Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Anna Luna, R-Fla., introduced a bill June 27 that would end U.S. sanctions on Syria to help the country rebuild following the collapse of the Bashar Assad regime.

Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., introduced a bill June 26 that would reauthorize the Federal Maritime Commission from FY 2026 to FY 2029 and give the agency several new tools to protect ocean shipping.