U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has named Stephen Lovegrove, a former U.K. national security adviser and defense minister, the special representative to the AUKUS partnership between Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. Lovegrove called AUKUS a “uniquely powerful partnership which will develop and deliver cutting-edge capabilities” and help boost the U.K.’s defense industrial base. “I look forward to starting work immediately to help maximise the potential of this vital partnership,” he said.

Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Louis Sola this week applauded the Panama Maritime Authority for recently removing from its registry more than 100 vessels sanctioned by the U.S. and other governments, saying the move is helping to pressure Iran and other nations operating so-called shadow fleets. He also said the FMC may investigate other registries that haven’t removed those ships.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company may face a fine of up to $1 billion or more if the Commerce Department determines it violated U.S. export control laws against Huawei, Reuters reported April 8. The Bureau of Industry and Security has reportedly been investigating the chip company after one of its chips was found in a Huawei product (see 2411120011 and 2410230019), and Reuters said Commerce could reach a $1 billion penalty because export control regulations allow the agency to issue a fine of up to twice the value of transactions that violate the rules. Reuters said it "could not determine how the Trump administration will proceed with TSMC or when the matter would be resolved."

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., accused the Trump administration April 7 of violating the 2024 law that requires China’s ByteDance to divest TikTok or face a U.S. ban on the social media application.

Sens. John Curtis, R-Utah, and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., introduced a bill April 8 that would require the administration to write a report to Congress on Hong Kong’s role in export control and sanctions evasion.

Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching for the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.

A key European Parliament committee this week voted 31-7, with three abstentions, to expand the bloc’s foreign direct investment screening rules, a move that could add more sectors to the scope of FDI restrictions and allow the European Commission to intervene in member state disagreements.

The U.S. executive branch has “really good authorities” to restrict exports of advanced computing chips but should improve how it wields them to prevent China from exploiting loopholes, a technology policy researcher told a congressional panel April 8.

Sara McNaughton, a former policy adviser for the Bureau of Industry and Security's assistant secretary for export administration, has joined advisory firm Beacon Global Strategies, the firm announced on LinkedIn. At BIS, McNaughton worked on “advanced technology policy, Middle East affairs, and stakeholder engagement,” her biography says.

Canada filed a dispute consultation request with the U.S. at the World Trade Organization on April 7, alleging that the U.S. government's 25% additional tariff on automobiles and automobile parts violate WTO obligations. The request said the duties "appear to be inconsistent with" U.S. obligations under Articles II and VIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994.