The Bureau of Industry and Security amended the Export Administration Regulations to further control the export of military and dual-use items to Venezuela in a rebuke of the Venezuelan military’s crackdown on political protests earlier in 2014 (here). The final rule subjects Venezuela to the same controls imposed initially on China in 2007, but extended to Russia in 2014. The controls restrict certain exports to “military end users” or for “military end use.” The term “military end user” means armed forces, police units and intelligence services, as well as supporters of these entities and some other branches of government. The new restrictions do not apply to contracts signed before Nov. 7.
The Bureau of Industry and Security amended the Export Administration Regulations to clarify a recent rule that transferred items from U.S. Munitions List Category XV (Spacecraft Systems and Associated Equipment) to the Commerce Control List as part of the Obama administration's Export Control Reform (here). The State and Commerce departments finalized the rule in May, and significant portions went into force on Nov. 10 (see 14051224). This Nov. 12 final rule makes only minor clarifications and corrections to the May 13 final rule. This clarification also says compliance with current law on the Destination Control Statement (here) is enough to meet the requirements for shipments that include items subject to both the Export Administration Regulations and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations.
The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for Nov. 7:
U.S. trade with Latin America is continuing to increase rapidly after accumulating a 70 percent increase in two-way trade since 2009, and Colombia in particular is poised to become a critical partner as that economy skyrockets, said Commerce Undersecretary for International Trade Stefan Selig in Nov. 6 remarks in Bogota (here). The U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement is boosting Colombian exports into the U.S. market, said Selig, adding that an infrastructure revolution in that country will help to grow domestic production and facilitate more foreign commerce. “We all know that Colombia is currently undergoing the largest infrastructure overhaul in the history of the country,” said Selig. “This ambitious plan will look to create up to 5,000 kilometers of road and up to 1,000 kilometers of railroads.”
The Bureau of Industry and Security on Nov. 5 slapped a Denied Persons List designation on London-based Mohammad Hakim Hashemi, the agency said in an emailed statement. The statement did not specify why BIS handed down the designation on Hashemi.
The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for Nov. 5:
The Bureau of Industry and Security added Chinese national Lisong Ma to the Denied Persons List, the agency said in a Nov. 4 emailed statement. Ma pleaded guilty in 2013 to attempting to export to China five tons of weapons-grade carbon fiber, a product used in military aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (see 13060311). A New York district court judge handed Ma a 20-year prison sentence, and Ma is currently serving out his term at the Moshannon Valley Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania.
The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for Nov. 3:
The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for Oct. 31:
The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for Oct. 28: