Although China’s recently announced plan for its Hainan free trade port could turn the island into a global trading hub, Chinese importers of U.S. agricultural goods have not yet embraced the strategy, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service said. China’s plan, released in June (see 2006030007), includes measures to reach zero and reduced tariffs for a range of imports by 2025, FAS said in a report released Nov. 20. But Chinese importers “appear reluctant to move forward until the food processing industry matures, infrastructure is built, cold chain capacity increases, and logistical connections are in place,” FAS said. Other importers want to wait to see how the plan’s tariff policies are implemented in practice “before pursuing potential business opportunities,” the report said.
The State Department is seeking comments on an information collection involving requests to change end-user, end-use and “destination of hardware” information, the agency said in a notice released Nov. 27. Those requests are submitted to the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls before DDTC can approve exports of certain defense goods to parties other than those stated on a license. Comments are due Dec. 28.
The Commerce Department again renewed a temporary export denial order for Mahan Airways because the airline continues to violate the order and the Export Administration Regulations, according to a Nov. 24 notice. The Iranian airline has been on the banned list since 2008, with the last denial renewed May 29. The latest renewal is for 180 days beyond Nov. 24, Commerce said.
The United Kingdom and Malaysia held the first meeting of their joint trade and investment committee Nov. 24. The committee, aiming to boost trade ties that will enhance future cooperation and investment, commissioned six working groups to work on easing market access between the two countries, particularly around wine and spirits. Natalie Black, the U.K.’s trade commissioner for the Asia Pacific, said the relationship has “the potential for significant further growth.”
The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation amended two entries under its cyberattacks sanctions regime, according to a Nov. 24 notice. The notice updated identifying information for Gao Qiang and Zhang Shilong, two Chinese nationals involved in cyberattacks on multinational companies in the European Union (see 2007310007).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned the Kaniyat militia and its leader, Mohamed al-Kani, for serious human rights abuses, according to a Nov. 25 press release. Al-Kani and the militia are responsible for numerous civilian executions and other human rights violations in Libya, OFAC said.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control published a notice Nov. 30 listing three previously issued Venezuela-related general licenses that contain authorizations related to Petroleos de Venezuela. In addition to the current General License 5E, the notice contains general licenses 5C and 5D, both of which were superseded by GL 5E, which was issued in October (see 2010060036). The authorizations in GL 5E will become effective Jan. 19, 2021.
The Bureau of Industry and Security expects to roll out a more multilateral approach to export controls under the Joe Biden administration but does not expect any major changes to its China policies or Entity List decisions, a senior Commerce Department official said. The official pointed to the strong bipartisan support among lawmakers for Chinese sanctions and export controls, which likely will continue under a new administration. “I don't see that going away. I think the Hill is engaged. I think at least from what President-elect Biden has announced with his Cabinet, these are folks who are familiar with the national security issues,” the official, who declined to be named in order to speak candidly about BIS, said in an interview last week. “So I don't expect a lot of substantive change.”
Amadeus Capital Partners agreed to invest $7 million in Altana AI, “a start-up working with governments, global enterprises, and supply chain solutions providers to de-risk global supply chains,” the companies said in a news release. Altana customers “gain global supply chain visibility and risk intelligence through the Altana Atlas -- a shared artificial intelligence model of the global supply chain.”
Morocco will increase the tariff rate on chocolate imports by more than 20 percentage points next year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service said in a Nov. 19 report. The measure, approved by Morocco this month, will increase tariffs on imported chocolate and food preparations containing cocoa from 17.5% to 40% starting Jan. 1, the report said. U.S. chocolate products will remain duty-free under the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement. The USDA said Morocco mainly imports chocolate from Europe, Egypt, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates.