The U.S. sanctioned one person and five entities for supporting the sale of Iranian petrochemical products, the Treasury Department said Dec. 16. Treasury sanctioned China-based Donghai International Ship Management Limited and Petrochem South East Limited, and United Arab Emirates-based Alpha Tech Trading FZE and Petroliance Trading FZE. The State Department sanctioned Vietnam Gas and Chemicals Transportation Corporation and its managing director Vo Ngoc Phung, Treasury said. Treasury said the people and entities are involved in “significant transactions for the transport of petroleum products from Iran.” The agency said the four entities it sanctioned helped Hong Kong-based Triliance Petrochemical Co. Ltd. (see 2001230040) -- which was sanctioned in January -- export energy products from Iran.

The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on Dec. 15 completed its review of a final Bureau of Industry and Security rule that would remove Hong Kong as a “separate destination” under the Export Administration Regulations. OIRA began reviewing the rule in November (see 2011090007). BIS said in its fall regulatory agenda that it hopes to publish the rule in February 2021 (see 2012150037).

The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on Dec. 14 began reviewing an interim final Bureau of Industry and Security rule that will expand end-use controls. If published, the rule will expand certain end-use and end-user controls on “specific activities of U.S. Persons.” A BIS spokesperson declined to comment.

The European Union on Dec. 14 updated its list of dual-use items subject to export controls. The 280-page document lists a range of items and decisions reached for various multilateral export regimes during 2019, including the Wassenaar Arrangement, the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Australia Group and the Chemical Weapons Convention. The regime also includes new controls on precursors for Novichok nerve agents, which was agreed to by the Australia Group in 2020, according to Stephane Chardon, the European Commission’s chief export control official.

China is a threat to the U.S., Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said, and he said there's a risk that “the next administration could roll back much of the progress we’ve made the past few years, in an attempt to return to the failed dream of engaging and accommodating China.” Cotton, the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee Subcommittee on Economic Policy, led a subcommittee hearing Dec. 16 on U.S.-China Economic Competition. Cotton said during the hearing that export controls must be tightened.

The Joe Biden administration should expect immediate bipartisan pressure from Congress to tackle human rights issues in China, including calls for potential sanctions and other restrictive measures, said Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash. Although observers and officials have said they expect Biden to continue many of the current administration’s China trade restrictions (see 2011250054 and 2011250019), Congress will likely call for more actions, Larsen said. “There's not a lot of wiggle room on the role of human rights,” Larsen said during a Dec. 15 online event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “And there's not a lot of wiggle room on the issue of technology.”

The United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade issued a guidance Dec. 11 on how the U.K.’s departure from the European Union will affect certain export controls and SPIRE, the country’s online export licensing system. EU regulations for strategic export controls will continue to apply in Northern Ireland, the guidance said, and certain rules for controlled exports will depend on whether they were exported from Britain or Northern Ireland.

The U.S. should work more closely with Japan on international standards setting to counter Chinese attempts to dominate a range of technology sectors, the Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a December report. Increasing U.S.-Japan technological cooperation is “fundamental to the alliance,” CSIS said, calling on the U.S. to more proactively partner with Japan to engage with standard bodies. “The United States needs to up its game in international standards setting, working with Japan and others to foster more effective public-private partnerships,” the report said. Both countries have “a critical interest in collaborating to ensure that the technical standards and rules governing new technologies are open, inclusive, and promote interoperability.” A congressional commission on China said this month the U.S should dedicate more resources to its participation in standards bodies (see 2012010043).

A new report summarizing town halls convened by Farmers for Free Trade says the elimination of the steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada and Mexico “went a long way toward stabilizing these export markets,” and that grain prices have recovered, but that more free trade deals are critical to support farmers and rural economies. The report, released Dec. 15, was highlighted in a webinar.

Switzerland announced sanctions Dec. 11 on 15 people in Belarus, including President Alexander Lukashenko, for human rights violations in the wake of the country’s contested elections earlier this year. Switzerland also announced an embargo on certain “armaments and goods” shipped to Belarus that may be used for “internal repression.” The country said it is “deeply concerned by the ongoing tensions” in Belarus and urged the country to “respect its international human rights obligations.” The sanctions add to Switzerland's previous sanctions (see 2010150005) and align it with some European Union sanctions measures (see 2010050010).