The European Commission will present ideas this year on a potential outbound investment screening regime, which could look to prevent European investments in sensitive Chinese technology sectors, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last week. She also said the EU will consider new trade restrictions on dual-use goods, including those that may be used for human rights abuses.
A group of European countries not in the EU aligned with two recent sanctions moves byff the EU, the European Council said. Under the bloc's restrictions regime against Iran, the council amended the list of people and entities subject to sanctions. The countries of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway also imposed the decision.
The Bureau of Industry and Security this week extended its public comment periods for two recent information collections. BIS initially requested comments on each in November and is now extending the comment periods for 30 days. One information collection involves the procedure for entities on the Unverified List or Entity List to request removal or “modification” of their placement on either list (see 2211230010), and the other is related to voluntary disclosures for violations of the Export Administration Regulations (see 2211170010).
The Bureau of Industry and Security again renewed temporary denial orders for three Russian airlines accused of violating U.S. export controls against Russia. BIS first suspended the export privileges of Aeroflot, Azur Air and UTair in April, barring the airlines from participating in transactions with items subject to the Export Administration Regulations (see 2204070010), and renewed their denial orders for 180 days from October (see 2210040008). BIS said all three airlines continue to "act in blatant disregard for U.S. export controls" by continuing to operate aircraft subject to the EAR. The orders include a table of recent flights operated by each airline. The orders were renewed for another 180 days from March 29.
The State Department should impose “mandatory sanctions” against Iran under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act in response to the country’s “significant defense transactions” with Russia, three Republicans said in a March 29 letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Iran and Russia are building a “full-fledged defense partnership,” the letter said, which has led to “concerning advances in Iran’s military capabilities” and helped Russia sustain its war in Ukraine.
Democrats introduced a bill this week that would build on the Biden administration’s increased emphasis on human rights concerns when adjudicating foreign arms sales. The Safeguarding Human Rights in Arms Exports Act of 2023, introduced in the House by Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., and in the Senate by Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., would codify aspects of the administration's recently revised Conventional Arms Transfer policy and would increase congressional oversight of arms sales.
Senators this week reintroduced a bipartisan bill that would require the administration to form an “effective sanctions strategy” that would be triggered if China invades Taiwan. The Taiwan Protection and National Resilience Act, led by Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., would require the departments of the Treasury, Defense, State, Commerce and others to submit a report to Congress describing a “comprehensive sanctions strategy” that the U.S and allies could adopt in response to an invasion.
The State Department this week published its 2022 Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act Annual Report in the Federal Register, detailing actions the agency took to impose Magnitsky sanctions that year, which included 35 foreign person designations. The report lists each of the designations, including why they were designated.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned Slovakian national Ashot Mkrtychev for trying to facilitate arms deals between Russia and North Korea. Mkrtychev worked with North Korean officials, including as recently as this year, to “obtain” more than two dozen kinds of weapons and munitions for Russia in exchange for commercial aircraft, raw materials and other commodities, OFAC said. The agency said Mkrtychev negotiated a “mutually beneficial cooperation” agreement between North Korea and Russia “to include financial payments and barter arrangements,” and “confirmed Russia’s readiness to receive military equipment from [North Korea] with senior Russian officials.”
Japan recently loosened export restrictions on shipments of hydrogen fluoride, fluorinated polymide and resists to South Korea following the end of a long-running trade dispute between the two countries. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said it added the three items, which are high-tech materials used in smartphone displays and chips, to the scope of its "Special General Bulk Export License system," effectively lifting the restrictions. The announcement, which took effect March 23, comes after South Korea withdrew its dispute complaint at the World Trade Organization (see 2303240044 and 2303170015).