The Defense Department plans to add several more Chinese companies, including its top chipmaker, to a blacklist of firms with ties to the country’s military (see 2011230007), Reuters reported Nov. 29. The additions to the list, which have not yet been published, include Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC), China Construction Technology Co. Ltd. and China International Engineering Consulting Corp., Reuters said. The companies will likely fall under President Donald Trump’s November executive order to ban Americans from investing in Chinese military companies (see 2011130026).

The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls will hold a webinar Dec. 9 on using the Defense Export Control Compliance System licensing application, DDTC said in a Nov. 26 notice, which includes login information. The webinar also will cover the state of DECCS, system statistics and a self-service tools demonstration.

The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking comments on how the Chemical Weapons Convention affected certain U.S. “commercial activities” this year, the agency said in a notice released Nov. 30. BIS plans to use the comments as it prepares its annual certification to Congress on whether CWC regulations on Schedule 1 chemicals harm “legitimate commercial activities and interests of chemical, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical firms.” Comments are due Dec. 31.

A Venezuelan business executive was indicted on money laundering charges for his alleged involvement in a bribery scheme to benefit officials at Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., the Justice Department said Nov. 25. Natalino D’Amato allegedly worked with others to launder funds from the bribery scheme to and from bank accounts in Florida, including for joint ventures controlled by U.S.-sanctioned PdVSA. Companies controlled by D’Amato received about $160 million from PdVSA’s joint ventures, and D’Amato used a portion of that money to bribe Venezuelan officials, the Justice Department alleged. The U.S. is seeking to seize about $45 million belonging to bank accounts involved with the scheme.

The United Kingdom updated a range of guidance documents relating to its trade agreement with Japan. The U.K. released Nov. 30 new information on how trade with Japan will change starting Jan. 1, 2021, provisions for small and medium-sized business, changes to product-specific rules and details on the tariff rate quota scheme.

The United Kingdom issued a guidance for its Mali sanctions Nov. 30, detailing the prohibitions, record-keeping requirements, enforcement measures and license exceptions. The guidance also clarifies how the sanctions will be imposed once the U.K. has left the European Union Jan. 1, 2021.

The United Kingdom amended 15 entries under its Afghanistan sanctions regime, a Nov. 27 notice said. The changes update identifying information for the entries.

Taiwan wants to continue the momentum from its November economic dialogue with the U.S. to begin negotiating a trade deal and collaborate more on investment screening, Taiwan’s representative to the U.S. said. Bi-khim Hsiao, an official with Taipei’s Economic and Cultural Representative Office, said the island is particularly interested in boosting its screening mechanisms for foreign investments.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned the China National Electronics Import & Export Corp. (CEIEC), a Chinese state-owned company that exports advanced technologies and technical expertise globally, OFAC said Nov. 30. The agency designated CEIEC for selling technology, software and training to Venezuelan government entities, which then use the products to bolster the Nicolas Maduro regime’s “malicious cyber efforts.”

Singapore Customs arrested four men involved in a scheme to illegally import cigarettes, the agency said in a Nov. 25 notice. Singapore alleged one of the men used his freight forwarding company to illegally import the cigarettes and falsely labeled them as stationery. The men stored the cigarettes on “company premises” and smuggled them out using their cars before being discovered by Singapore authorities. Customs officers seized about 1,200 cartons and 11 packets of cigarettes, and said the scheme evaded more than $160,000 (in Singapore dollars) in taxes on the imports. Charges have been filed, and investigation continues.