FTI Consulting recently hired Thomas Andrukonis, previously director of the Bureau of Industry and Security Export Management and Compliance Division, a post on LinkedIn by Matt Bell, FTI's Export Controls and Sanctions practice leader, said.

Clifford Chance hired international trade regulatory and national security expert Renee Latour as a partner at its Washington office, the firm announced in a news release Jan. 19. Latour was previously at Greenberg Traurig. She has 15 years of experience in matters concerning U.S. trade controls and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.

South Korea is breaching labor provisions under its trade deal with the European Union, a panel of experts concluded. The panel, appointed by the EU and South Korea as part of their trade agreement’s dispute settlement system, found that South Korea needs to adjust its labor laws and practices and ratify four conventions under the International Labour Organization, the EU said Jan. 25. South Korea must meet those requirements “regardless of their effect on trade,” the panel said, agreeing with the EU's arguments that they are legally binding. EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said the EU will work “closely” with South Korea “to ensure it effectively implements commitments on workers' rights.” South Korea's U.S. embassy didn't comment.

The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of Jan. 25 (some may also be given separate headlines):

South Asia is becoming an increasingly attractive export market for U.S. bulk agricultural goods, especially for U.S. cotton, nuts, soybeans and dairy products, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service reported Jan. 22. U.S. agricultural exports to the region have grown 85% over the five years from 2015 to 2019, with cotton exports up 180%. USDA said it expects the trend to continue due to the region’s growing population, “sizable young demographic” and rising demand for “packaged, protein-rich, high-value food products, fresh fruits and tree nuts.” Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are in the South Asia region.

The Commerce Department on Jan. 25 announced 17 appointees to lead within the agency under the Joe Biden administration. The initial list includes Christopher Hoff, deputy assistant secretary for services at the International Trade Administration; Meghan Maury, a senior adviser at the Census Bureau; and Feras Sleiman, a congressional affairs specialist at the Bureau of Industry and Security.

As the text of the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment was released Jan. 22, analysts are evaluating how much of a difference the agreement, if ratified, would make in the economic relationship between the parties to the pact. The Institut Montaigne, a French think tank that supports free markets, published a policy paper that said, “Overall, the EU-China CAI has been oversold and underpowered.” It noted that most of the annexes, that actually list the sectors in China that would be open to European investment, are still not published. Moreover, author François Godement said that there are qualifiers in the text that make some commitments unenforceable, such as China's pledge to pursue ratifications of International Labor Organization standards on forced labor.

Exports to Hong Kong remain eligible for post-departure filings in the Automated Export System despite recent changes to Hong Kong’s export control status, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said in a Jan. 25 email to industry. NCBFAA said it confirmed with the Census Bureau that the agency will permit the filings, which are available for certain exporters that joined the post-departure filing program before it was closed to new participants. Census recently issued guidance clarifying its reporting requirements for exports to Hong Kong (see 2012300040), despite a December Bureau of Industry and Security rule that removed Hong Kong as a separate destination under the Export Administration Regulations (see 2012220053). A Census spokesperson confirmed that Hong Kong exports will remain eligible for post-departure filings.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Jan. 25 issued a new general license and updated an existing frequently asked question related to trade with Yemen-based Ansarallah, a U.S.-sanctioned foreign terrorist organization (see 2101110015). General License No. 13 authorizes certain transactions with Ansarallah or its subsidiaries through 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 26. OFAC also updated FAQ 876 to mention the new general license. OFAC issued four general licenses on Jan. 19 to authorize certain transactions with Ansarallah, including trade in humanitarian goods (see 2101190016).

The European Union renewed sanctions against Tunisia until Jan. 31, 2022, and deleted four sections entries under the regime, the EU said in Jan. 25 notices. The deleted entries are for Bouthaina Bent Moncef Ben Mohamed Trabelsi, Nabil Ben Abderrazek Ben Mohamed Trabelsi, Akrem Ben Hamed Ben Taher Bouaouina and Slim Ben Tijani Ben Haj Hamda Ben Ali.