Gina Sokolovs, a former financial crime compliance associate with financial services firm Societe Generale, has joined the Office of Foreign Assets Control as a sanctions implementation and investigation specialist, she announced on LinkedIn. Sokolovs previously worked as a policy consultant with DHS in 2021.
Former Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo has left the Treasury Department to begin new fellowship roles with Columbia University’s Institute of Global Politics and Center on Global Energy Policy, the school announced on LinkedIn. As Treasury’s top official under Secretary Janet Yellen, Adeyemo helped oversee the Biden administration’s implementation of sanctions against Russia, the price cap on Russian oil, and more.
Illinois-based Euromarket Designs Inc., the parent company of furniture store chain Crate & Barrel, has accused several ocean carriers of failing to meet their service contract commitments and charging tens of millions of dollars in unfair fees, according to a complaint released by the Federal Maritime Commission Jan. 8.
The European Commission is considering new restrictions on Chinese bidders of EU contracts after finding that EU medical device companies face "discrimination" in the Chinese procurement market. A report released by the EU on Jan. 13 outlines the findings of the bloc's first investigation under its International Procurement Instrument and "presents clear evidence of China limiting the access of EU medical devices producers to its government contracts in an unfair and discriminatory way," the commission said. The EU began the probe in April 2024 and said it could result in "a restriction on, or exclusion of, Chinese bidders of government contracts in the EU. "
The EU is “concerned” about the Bureau of Industry and Security's new export controls on advanced AI chips (see 2501130026), which will impose new restrictions on certain EU member states and their companies, the bloc’s top two technology and trade officials said in a joint statement this week.
China criticized new U.S. export controls over certain advanced AI chips released this week (see 2501130026) and announced its own set of export restrictions on American firms the next day, adding seven defense contractors to its so-called unreliable entity list.
The Pentagon defended its decision to designate Chinese lidar company Hesai Technology as a Chinese military company, filing a cross-motion for judgment in Hesai's case against its designation at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (see 2412110023). DOD said substantial evidence backs its finding that Hesai is a "military-civil fusion contributor to the Chinese defense industrial base," arguing that Hesai failed to appreciate that the "combined weight" of all the evidence supports the designation (Hesai Technology Co. v. United States, D.D.C. # 24-01381).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control is adjusting its civil monetary penalties for inflation, the agency said in a notice this week. The new amounts include higher maximum penalties for violations of the Trading With the Enemy Act, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act and the Clean Diamond Trade Act. The agency also updated two references to “one-half the IEEPA maximum" penalty, which changed from $184,068 to $188,850. OFAC also adjusted the record-keeping penalty amounts in the agency's Economic Sanctions Enforcement Guidelines. The changes take effect Jan. 15.
Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., announced Jan. 13 that he plans to introduce a bill to give China’s ByteDance more time to divest TikTok before facing a ban on the popular social media application in the U.S.
The European Council on Jan. 13 extended its sanctions on those who support or enable violent actions taken by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad for one year, until Jan. 20, 2026. The sanctions cover 12 people and three entities.