President Donald Trump signed bills that could remove Hong Kong from receiving special customs and export controls treatment and restrict exports of rubber bullets, tear gas and other items to the region. The bills (see 1911200036), signed Nov. 27, led to backlash from China, which said the country is prepared to retaliate. “We urge the U.S. to not continue going down the wrong path, or China will take countermeasures, and the U.S. must bear all consequences,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Nov. 28.
As the European Union prepares revised regulations of its dual-use export controls (see 1906050039), EU industries are “divided” over whether human rights violations should be an “explicit justification” for export controls, according to a briefing of the EU review released Nov. 26. The 11-page briefing, released by the European Parliament, details how the controls would be changed, including impacts on export controls of surveillance technology, a revamp of the EU’s “licensing architecture” and a focus on terrorism and human rights.
The State Department has forwarded notifications of proposed export licenses to Congress as required by the Arms Export Control Act, the agency said in a Nov. 27 notice in the Federal Register. The notice includes details on the 91 notifications, sent from November 2018 until May 2019.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued guidance on the definition of “maintenance” used in General License K, which allows certain transactions with COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) Co. The guidance was released along with two new Frequently Asked Questions and two updated FAQs, according to a Nov. 27 notice.
The European Union’s transfer of authority over its sanctions portfolio represents an increased focus on “stricter sanctions enforcement” and could potentially redefine the impact of EU sanctions, according to a Nov. 21 post from the Royal United Services Institute. The change, made by the European Commission earlier this month, transferred the EU sanctions portfolio from the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security to the Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (FISMA).
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls met with Japanese industry representatives to discuss defense trade, the State Department said in a Nov. 25 tweet. The State Department met with representatives sponsored by Japan's Center for International Cooperation on Security Export Controls, calling it a “great opportunity to expand defense trade ties with a key ally!” The State Department last met with Japanese officials Nov. 23 on the margins of the G-20 foreign ministers meeting in Nagoya, Japan. During the meeting, Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan “pledged” to continue helping Japan and South Korea’s trade dispute (see 1910240032) through “trilateral cooperation.”
A U.S. foundation representing organizations in the semiconductor technology sector will move to Switzerland due to concerns over U.S. trade restrictions, according to a Nov. 25 Reuters report. RISC-V Foundation, a non-profit, said it has not yet faced restrictions but is “concerned about possible geopolitical disruption,” according to Reuters. The move comes as the Commerce Department restricts sales to certain Chinese technology companies (see 1911180036 and 1910070076) and prepares to release proposed restrictions on emerging and foundational technologies (see 1911200045).
The U.S. is continuing sanctions on Nicaragua, the White House said Nov. 25. Nicaraguan officials' use of violence, “dismantling” of democratic institutions and corruption continue to “pose an unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security and foreign policy, the White House said.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Corporacion Panamericana, a Cuban company controlled by U.S.-sanctioned Cubametales, Treasury said Nov. 26. Since it was sanctioned, Cubametales has offered Corporacion Panamericana as an intermediary to companies who decline to do business with Cubametales.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for Nov. 18-22 in case you missed them.