The European Union announced new initiatives to support its Customs Union and tackle a rise in smuggling, fraud and other trade challenges faced by member states. The initiatives, part of the EU’s Sept. 28 Customs Union Action Plan, include measures to combat customs duty fraud, a rollout of modern customs equipment under the next EU budget and an EU-wide single customs portal.
The Commerce Department informed some U.S. chip companies they need export licenses before shipping certain items to Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, China’s largest semiconductor maker, according to two people familiar with the situation. Commerce sent the information in a letter to companies last week, the people said, which effectively placed export controls on shipments to the Chinese company.
Three Democratic senators introduced a bill that would impose more restrictions on arms sales to protect against human rights violations. The bill -- introduced Sept. 24 by New Jersey's Bob Menendez, Vermont's Patrick Leahy and Virginia's Tim Kaine -- would amend the Arms Export Control Act by imposing more conditions before certain arms sales can be completed.
The U.S. sanctioned two Iranian officials and four entities for human rights violations, the State Department said Sept. 24. The designations target Iranian Judges Seyyed Mahmoud Sadati and Mohammad Soltani for sentencing people on “dubious charges” related to freedom of speech. Also designated are the Shiraz Revolutionary Court's Branch 1 and the Adel Abad, Orumiyeh and Vakilabad prisons.
The United Kingdom is working with the European Union, the U.S. and Canada to impose sanctions on those responsible for the rigged elections in Belarus (see 2001150022), U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Sept. 24. Raab said he has directed the U.K.’s sanctions team to prepare Magnitsky human rights sanctions and will coordinate listings with the U.S. and Canada. If Belarusian officials do not “respond” to the sanctions, Raab said the U.K. will consider “further actions with our international partners.”
The U.S. needs to increase engagement with China to convince it to limit restrictions on foreign companies and to end unfair government subsidies, former U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said. Although Froman said he is “hopeful” the U.S. can secure these concessions through more trade negotiations, he also said the U.S. may need to focus more on its own industrial policy to remain technologically competitive with China.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Sept. 25 issued guidance on sanctions against Hong Kong officials and renewed a general license authorizing certain transactions with the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (see 2007310028).
The European Commission issued a notice Sept. 16 on European Union dual-use export controls if the United Kingdom leaves the EU without a deal. The commission reminded dual-use traders that items exported from the EU to the U.K. will require a license after the transition period, which ends Dec. 31, and traders will no longer be able to rely on U.K. licenses for shipments from the EU to a third country. Traders also will not be able to rely on licenses issued by another EU member state to export dual-use goods located in the U.K. to a third country. The EC advised exporters to seek information from their country’s licensing authority “regarding the handling of relevant export scenarios” post-transition.
A former employee for a Virginia night-vision equipment manufacturer pleaded guilty to selling night vision devices and components over the internet, the Justice Department said Sept. 23. Steven Rosine stole the equipment while working as a production engineer at Harris Corp.’s manufacturing facility in Roanoke, where he had access to the company’s equipment. The Justice Department said Rosine, of Troutville, Virginia, stole and sold image intensifier tubes, night vision systems and other parts, a majority of which were made using “classified production data” and controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Rosine made more than $119,000 from selling the ITAR-controlled items. He faces a maximum 10-year prison sentence and a possible fine of up to $250,000.
A California electronics company was fined about $475,000 after its former Finnish subsidiary illegally exported test measurement equipment to Iran, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said Sept. 24. After Keysight Technologies acquired Anite Finland Oy in 2015, Anite continued to illegally supply equipment to Iranian end-users, hiding the transactions from Keysight, OFAC said. In a settlement agreement, Keysight agreed to implement improved compliance procedures and an annual audit of its compliance program for the next five years.