Four Chinese nationals and a Chinese company were charged with violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and U.S. sanctions after they did business with sanctioned North Korean companies, the Justice Department said in a July 23 press release. The charges were brought against Ma Xiaohong, her company Dandong Hongxiang Industrial Development Co. Ltd. (DHID) and three of the company’s top executives: general manager Zhou Jianshu (Zhou), deputy general manager Hong Jinhua (Hong) and financial manager Luo Chuanxu (Luo).
CBP is requesting comments by Aug. 22 on an existing information collection for certificates of registration. CBP proposes to extend the expiration date of this information collection without a change to the burden hours or information collected.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued an advisory on Iran’s “deceptive practices” in the civil aviation industry, detailing Iran’s use of commercial airlines for terrorism, weapons programs and sanctions violations. The eight-page advisory, issued July 23, lists several practices U.S. companies should be aware of to avoid violating U.S. sanctions against Iran. The advisory also reviews the U.S.’s current Iran sanctions regime as well as penalties for committing violations.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for July 15-19 in case they were missed.
CHICAGO -- CBP has partnered with the U.S. Agency for International Development to improve customs agencies in the Northern Triangle countries of Central America, hoping improvements will lead to more trade within the region and with the U.S., CBP’s Assistant Commissioner for the Office of International Affairs Ian Saunders said, speaking at the agency’s Trade Symposium in Chicago on July 23.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control’s amendments to its reporting, procedures and penalties regulations has caused a “great deal of confusion” among U.S. companies, the American Association of Exporters and Importers said in July 22 comments to the agency. AAEI said several of the updates are unclear, including OFAC’s new reporting requirements for rejected transactions and the update that expands the scope of transactions that must be reported.
Polsinelli hired Michelle Schulz, previously at Ackerman, as a shareholder and chair of the firm’s International Trade and Customs practice in Polsinelli's Dallas office, the firm said in a news release. Matthew Savage, also previously with Akerman, will join the practice as a trade analyst in Dallas. Luis Arandia Jr., who comes from Givens & Johnston, will join as an associate in the Dallas office. "We expect the dynamic combination of our existing franchise transactions and litigation practice with the exciting work being done in international trade and customs and franchising by our new team members will vigorously move us forward as we continue to expand our footprint to better serve our clients wherever they do business,” said Joyce Mazero, co-chair of the firm’s national Global Franchise and Supply Network practice.
The World Customs Organization issued the following release on commercial trade and related matters:
Britain published its Strategic Export Controls Annual Report for 2018 on July 18, which includes details of the United Kingdom’s export policies, licensing decisions, and other significant developments from 2018. The report also covers compliance with U.K. export controls and policy developments relating to Brexit.
Over the year since the European Union and the U.S. agreed to pursue trade talks, the two sides "have actually made some decent progress" on regulatory cooperation in pharmaceuticals and medical devices, but "where we are stuck is on industrial tariffs," said Sabine Weyand, director general for trade at the European Commission.