The Bureau of Industry and Security, in the Census Bureau’s January trade newsletter, addressed several frequently asked questions about filing requirements for exports to China, Russia and Venezuela. The agency detailed how electronic export information (EEI) filing requirements apply to exports and which license exceptions are available. It also provided contact information for exporter questions. Filing requirements apply to more exports than just those captured under the agency’s April rule on exports to military end-users and for end-uses (see 2004270027), BIS said. There won’t be a new “license-type code” for EEI filings in the Automated Export System for exports controlled for anti-terrorism reasons, BIS said.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for Jan. 25-29 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching on the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The U.S. is reviewing its sanctions authorities to impose restrictions on Myanmar officials following a coup by the country’s military earlier this week, a State Department official said Feb. 2. The agency is considering sanctioning the country's military, including senior military officials, and is working with other countries in the region to impose similar restrictions, the official said. “We will take action against those responsible, including through a careful review of our current sanctions posture,” the official told reporters, adding that the sanctions could also target companies with ties to Myanmar’s military.
Princeton University was fined $54,000 and ordered to audit its export control compliance program after committing 37 U.S. export violations, the Bureau of Industry and Security said in a Feb. 1 order. BIS said the university illegally exported “various strains and recombinants” of an animal pathogen, which were controlled for chemical and biological weapons reasons, to overseas research institutions without the required BIS licenses.
Three Republican senators asked President Joe Biden’s commerce secretary nominee to clarify whether she would consider removing Huawei from the Entity List, saying such a move would hurt U.S. competitiveness. Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Ben Sasse of Nebraska said they were concerned when Gina Raimondo declined to tell lawmakers last month whether she would remove export restrictions from Huawei or other Chinese companies (see 2101260047). They also said they will oppose the confirmation of other Biden nominees if they do not outline a clearer, tougher stance on Huawei and other Chinese companies.
A Bureau of Industry and Security spokesperson dismissed criticism from national security experts that technology is moving too fast for BIS export controls (see 2101290021) and said the agency is committed to continuing its congressionally mandated emerging technology efforts. “That technology is developing quickly does not negate the imperative of appropriate export controls to prevent access by actors who would use those technologies contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests,” the spokesperson said in a Jan. 29 email. Although BIS has issued 38 emerging technology controls, the House’s Republican-led China Task Force last year criticized BIS for being too slow to roll out a substantial list of emerging and foundational technologies (see 2010010020). The spokesperson said BIS is still reviewing the roughly 80 comments it received on its pre-rule for foundational technologies (see 2008260045 and 2011130037).
The European Union officially put in place measures to require member states to authorize shipments of COVID-19 vaccines before they can be exported (see 2101270027). The measures require “companies to notify” their member state authorities “about the intention to export vaccines produced in the European Union,” the European Commission said Jan. 29. The authorization requirement will remain in place until March 31. “This measure is targeted, proportionate, transparent and temporary,” the EC said.
The European Union wants to work more closely with the U.S. on sanctions and technology issues and is hoping to establish an international trade and technology council to regulate emerging technologies, EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said. Speaking during a Feb. 1 event hosted by the German Marshall Fund, Dombrovskis also called for more EU-U.S. unity on a range of other topics, including reform at the World Trade Organization and measures to counter illegal Chinese trade practices. “This is precisely why we need to put our current trade disputes behind us,” Dombrovskis said, referencing the Boeing/Airbus dispute and U.S. Section 232 tariffs on European steel and aluminum (see 2101270049).
The European Union’s new export requirements surrounding COVID-19 vaccines (see 2101270027) will not affect exports to Canada, a top EU official said. The “proposed EU measures will not affect vaccine shipments to Canada,” EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis told Canadian Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade Mary Ng during a Jan. 28 conversation, according to a Global Affairs Canada readout. Ng “pressed” Dombrovskis on the “importance of ensuring that critical health and medical supply chains remain open and resilient,” GAC said.
The Bureau of Industry and Security fined a Singapore-based electronics and software distributor more than $3 million and suspended its export privileges for violating the Export Administration Regulations, which included illegal exports to China and Iran, according to a Jan. 29 order. BIS said Avnet Asia Pte., Ltd. committed 53 EAR violations over several years when it sold export-controlled electronic components totaling more than $1 million. The Justice Department also charged Chinese national Cheng Bo, a former Avnet Asia employee, for participating in a conspiracy to violate U.S. export laws.