A Chinese man pleaded guilty to conspiring to illegally export “maritime raiding craft” and engines to China, the Justice Department said Nov. 2. Shanghai Breeze Technology Co. Ltd. Chairman Ge Songtao also pleaded guilty to submitting false export information to the U.S. government. Ge faces a maximum 15-year prison sentence.
The Bureau of Industry and Security revoked export privileges for three people for illegal firearms exports, according to Oct. 30 orders.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said a renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program could happen either by packaging the bill with an omnibus spending bill, or, if Congress just passes another temporary spending bill, by attachment to a tax extenders bill.
The United Kingdom and Kenya on Nov. 3 concluded negotiations on a free trade deal, ensuring duty-free trade after the U.K. leaves the European Union Jan. 1, 2021. The U.K. said it accounts for 43% of Kenya’s total vegetable exports. It said the agreement will be “formally signed shortly once it has been subject to checks.”
The United Kingdom Nov. 3 published guidance for its sanctions regimes covering Nicaragua, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Lebanon, and for its cyber-related designations. The guidance documents will help companies comply with the sanctions regimes after the U.K. leaves the European Union Jan. 1, 2021, the U.K. said, and covers prohibitions and requirements in each set of regulations.
More than 70 countries voiced their support for the International Criminal Court, criticizing U.S. sanctions against the body. They are “undeterred by any measures or threats against the Court, its officials and those cooperating with it,” the nations said in a Nov. 2 statement. Signers include France, the United Kingdom, Japan and Germany.
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China’s new export control law (see 2010190033 and 2010220024) is expected to significantly impact trade and may include “very broad” catch-all controls, leading to compliance burdens for companies doing business in China, law firms said. Businesses should review their compliance programs to make sure they are prepared for the regulations and to avoid potential Chinese penalties, firms said, which could be severe.
Dorsey & Whitney added international lawyer Justin Huff, previously with Jones Day, as a partner. He has experience with technology, telecom and other sectors in analyzing transactions for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) reviewing national security matters, Dorsey said in a news release.
The World Customs Organization issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters: