The U.S. on Sept. 2 seized a "Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft," which is owned and operated to benefit Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and those associated with him, DOJ announced. The plane was seized in the Dominican Republic and sent to Florida related to alleged export control and sanctions violations.
USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative are accepting applications for new members to sit on agricultural trade advisory committees, the agencies said this week. Applications are being accepted for six Agricultural Technical Advisory Committees -- covering animals, fruits and vegetables, grains and more -- as well as the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee, which advises the administration on the implementation and enforcement of trade agreements and trade policy. Members serve four-year terms without compensation. Applications are due by 5 p.m. EDT Sept. 20.
At least 22 states recently have approved legislation regulating foreign ownership of U.S. land, reflecting growing interest in addressing the potential national security and economic implications of such investments, the Congressional Research Service said in a new report this week.
The leaders of the House Select Committee on China asked the Commerce Department last week to describe the steps the Biden administration is taking to address attempts by Chinese companies to offer their products through different companies to evade U.S. restrictions.
House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., urged the Defense Department Aug. 28 to place Chinese electric vehicle battery producer Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd. (CATL) on its Section 1260H list of Chinese military companies, citing the firm’s close ties to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and its role in the Chinese Communist Party’s military-civil fusion strategy.
The U.S. and South Korea this week hosted a symposium for government officials, finance industry representatives, investment firms and others about how to shield the virtual asset industry from being exploited by North Korea, the State Department said. The symposium, held in New York on Aug. 27, convened participants from more than 40 countries to discuss “updates on current trends” in North Korean virtual asset thefts and laundering, information on North Korean cyber threats, and “guidance on how industry and government can better work together.”
Reps. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., and Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., introduced a bill last week that would prohibit lawmakers from making personal financial investments that involve China, Russia, Iran or other “foreign adversaries.”
Former Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., said last week he remains confident that a new law requiring China’s ByteDance to divest popular social media application TikTok will survive any legal challenges.
A bipartisan group of five senators and two House members unveiled a new bill Aug. 22 that would create “democratic benchmarks” to guide the removal of sanctions on Venezuela.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., who has been working for months to develop a major China bill (see 2402010067 and 2406130071), said Aug. 20 that parts of the legislation could end up in the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).