China is suspending imports of cloven-hoofed animals and their products from Mozambique, due to a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak among cattle in the region, an Aug. 25 notice said, according to an unofficial translation. Chinese customs authorities will destroy the imports if they are found passing through border checkpoints, and traders will be subject to customs penalties, China said. The suspension took effect Aug. 20.
The Commerce Department’s recent restrictions against Huawei could “create substantial uncertainty and disruption” for the semiconductor supply chain, leading to lost sales and an eroding customer base for U.S.-origin goods, a semiconductor manufacturing industry group said Aug. 24. Semi asked Commerce to extend the deadline for the savings clause in its Aug. 17 rule and review licenses for non-5G items with “significant flexibility.”
Chinese and Russian officials want to expand trade and supply chain cooperation, with both sides emphasizing trade in agricultural goods, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said Aug. 25, according to an unofficial translation of a news release. China wants to “deepen cooperation” with Russia in the “entire soybean industry chain,” and Russia said it is “willing to further expand exports of agricultural products to China,” the notice said. The countries also said they want to establish a “Sino-Russian soybean industry alliance.”
The Environmental Protection Agency is removing the Toxic Substances Control Act significant new use rule (SNUR) on one chemical substance, alpha 1-, 3-polysaccharide, which was the subject of a premanufacture notice. EPA’s final rule, which takes effect Sept. 24, removes new use notification requirements. The revocation is “based on new test data for the chemical substance,” the agency said.
The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new reporting requirements for three chemical substances under significant new use rules, it said Aug. 25. The proposed SNURs would require notification to EPA at least 90 days in advance of a new use by importers, manufacturers or processors. Importers of chemical substances subject to these proposed SNURs would need to certify their compliance with the SNUR requirements should these proposed rules be finalized, EPA said. Exporters of these chemical substances would become subject to export notification requirements. Comments on the proposed SNURs are due Sept. 24. The SNURs would cover the following chemical substances:
Curtiss-Wright, a U.S. manufacturer, may have violated U.S. sanctions on Russia when it continued to do business with two customers after they were acquired by a sanctioned entity, the company said in an Aug. 19 Securities and Exchange Commission filing. The company said the two customers, “unbeknown” to Curtiss-Wright, were acquired in 2019 by an entity subject to OFAC’s Ukraine-related sanctions. “Change of ownership resulted in beneficial ownership sanctions now capturing our two long-time customers,” the company said.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Aug. 25 sanctioned a Chinese national and his company for shipping fentanyl to the U.S., and removed sanctions from a Honduran money laundering ring. The Chinese sanctions target Taotao Zhang and his company, Hong Kong-based Allyrise Technology Group Co., Limited, for shipping fentanyl to the U.S. through freight forwarding services and other means to disguise their origin. OFAC also removed sanctions from Jaime Rolando Rosenthal Oliva, who is now deceased, and five associated companies and other entities involved in Rosenthal's money laundering scheme, which have been seized by Honduran authorities.
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on Aug. 24 completed its interagency review of a Bureau of Industry and Security pre-rule to pinpoint potential controls for foundational technologies. OIRA began its review Aug. 3 (see 2008040008). The long-awaited rule (see 2005190052 and 1911050052) is expected to ask for industry feedback on what types of existing, widely available technologies BIS should consider for controls.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for Aug. 17-21 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching on the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
After the first high-level review of the phase one trade deal, the principals talked about progress and ensuring the success of the U.S.-China trade agreement, but some believe the happy talk can't obscure that China and the U.S. are disentangling their mutual dependency in tech goods and services. “There is a re-alignment that is happening in real time,” Rideau Potomac Strategy Group President Eric Miller said in an Aug. 25 phone interview, the day after the call. U.S. and Chinese trade officials reemphasized their commitment to the phase one agreement during the Aug. 24 call, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said.