The Senate voted 67-29 on April 29 to confirm former Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., to be U.S. ambassador to China. Perdue has said he will seek to “increase the dialogue pace” on U.S.-China trade and press China to improve its human rights record, curb its purchase of Iranian oil and stem its export of fentanyl precursor chemicals (see 2504030045).
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called on the Commerce Department April 29 to improve its efforts to prevent the illegal diversion of U.S. firearms exports.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., introduced a bill April 28 that would codify former President Joe Biden’s February 2024 executive order allowing the U.S. to sanction those who undermine peace, security and stability in the West Bank.
Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., said April 29 that Azerbaijani officials, including President Ilham Aliyev, should face sanctions for recent human rights abuses, such as a growing number of political prisoners.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned six entities and six people based in Iran and China for their ties to a network that buys ballistic missile propellant ingredients for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. OFAC said the network has specifically provided Iran with sodium perchlorate, which is used to produce ammonium perchlorate, a substance subject to export controls by the multilateral Missile Technology Control Regime. The network has also supplied Iran with dioctyl sebacate, a chemical used in ballistic missiles.
Copa Holdings, the parent company of Latin American airlines Copa Airlines and Wingo, recently disclosed to the U.S. government that it may have violated U.S. sanctions against Cuba.
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The Trump administration’s plans to reduce export control cooperation with allies, particularly the EU, could lead to more differences between the two jurisdictions' export systems, especially for controls targeted toward China, lawyers said this week.
James Rockas is no longer with the Bureau of Industry and Security after being appointed by the Trump administration to the position of deputy undersecretary in January, two people with knowledge of the matter said. Rockas left BIS last week and moved to the State Department, a Commerce Department spokesperson confirmed. He was replaced by Joe Bartlett, the BIS legislative affairs director.
Karen Wrege is leaving her position this fall as chief information officer at the State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, she announced on LinkedIn. Wrege has been with the agency since 2014. She said she plans to work both in cybersecurity compliance and on fundraising efforts for a Washington-based organization that assists nonprofits.