The Bureau of Industry and Security is adding eight companies to the Entity List that it said are “enabling human rights violations,” including by supplying sensitive technology or military items to the Chinese, Russian and Myanmar militaries. The additions, outlined in a final rule released Dec. 10 and effective Dec. 11, target technology companies and supplier firms based in each of those three countries.

Companies should expect the U.S. government to continue to prioritize enforcement of export controls in the coming months, including by issuing new penalties for export violations, said Matthew Axelrod, the Bureau of Industry and Security’s top export enforcement official. He also revealed that BIS is using a new tool to better screen foreign parties listed on license applications, and he said a recent shift in how the agency uses metrics has allowed it to devote more attention to cases involving the most sensitive technology.

Uzbekistan wants to join the World Trade Organization by 2026, a "high-level government delegation" from the Central Asian nation said during the 9th meeting of the Working Party on the Accession of Uzbekistan. Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev said Uzbekistan is looking to "intensify efforts to finalize outstanding negotiations and harmonize its legal and regulatory frameworks with WTO agreements." The delegation noted that since the last meeting of the working party, the nation has concluded negotiations with nine additional members, bringing the total of completed bilateral talks to 22. The chair of the working party, South Korea's Yun Seong-deok, encouraged members to ramp up their engagement with Uzbekistan next year and wants to reconvene the working party in spring 2025.

The Federal Maritime Commission is ending one of its two investigations into new Canadian rules that were thought to have imposed unfair burdens on U.S. vessels, making the announcement after Canada granted exemptions for six ships and took other steps to “temporarily” resolve the issue. The FMC said it’s still moving forward with a separate, broader investigation into whether the Canadian regulations unfairly affect all U.S.-flagged Great Lakes vessels.

The State Department approved a potential $807 million military sale to the Netherlands, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Dec. 6. The sale includes “AIM-120D3 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles” and related equipment, and the principal contractor will be RTX Corp.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network said it won’t be enforcing new reporting requirements under its upcoming beneficial ownership information reporting rule in light of a recent federal court order blocking the rule from taking effect. A statement on FinCEN’s website confirmed that companies are “not subject to liability if they fail to” report while the court order is in force, though those companies can voluntarily submit reports if they wish.

The Bureau of Industry and Security again renewed temporary denial orders for two Russian airlines that it said continue to illegally operate aircraft on flights into and out of Russia. The agency renewed denial orders for Siberian Airlines and Nordwind Airlines for one year from Dec. 6, saying they continue to "act in blatant disregard for U.S. export controls and the terms of previously issued TDOs," including by operating flights between Russia and Thailand, China, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey. BIS last renewed the orders in December 2023 (see 2312130011).

A Chinese national was charged for his role in a scheme to illegally ship export-controlled "defense-related technical data" to China and illegally supply the Department of Defense with Chinese-origin rare earth magnets for aviation systems and military items, DOJ announced.

The newly released FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) calls for the executive branch to take several actions related to export controls, including a review of China’s efforts to evade U.S. restrictions, and an assessment of Japan’s possible participation in the Australia-U.K.-U.S. (AUKUS) security partnership.

The Fish and Wildlife Service has declared the Penasco least chipmunk (Neotamias minimus atristriatus) of New Mexico an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, according to a notice. The final rule declaring the designation is effective Jan. 9.