In the July 13-24 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
Britain published guidance that offers insight into how it would transfer European Union sanctions on Burundi and the Republic of Guinea into the United Kingdom's sanctions regime in the case of a no-deal Brexit, the U.K. said on July 23. In its guidance on Guinea sanctions, the U.K. said the purpose of the measures would be to lead the Guinea government to “investigate properly the violent repression in Guinea” on Sept. 28, 2009, and bring “criminal proceedings” on those responsible. The U.K. said the purpose of the Burundi sanctions is to encourage the country’s government to “respect democratic principles,” “bring about a peaceful solution to the political situation in Burundi,” “refrain from policies” that “repress civil society” and abide by international human rights laws.
The U.S. is extending a national emergency to continue sanctions on “transnational criminal organizations” for one year, the White House said in a July 22 press release. Under the authority of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the sanctions target criminal organizations that threaten “international political and economic systems,” some of which are “entrenched in the operations of foreign governments and the international financial system,” the press release said. The organizations “continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat,” the White House said. The first executive order declaring this national emergency was on July 24, 2011.
The U.S. imposed sanctions on a Chinese oil company and its CEO for buying crude oil from Iran, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said July 22. The announcement sanctioned Zhuhai Zhenrong Company Limited and CEO Youmin Li, Pompeo said.The sanctions were originally announced by the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control on July 22, but the agency did not immediately release detailed information about the sanctions (see 1907220049). Pompeo said the sanctions are part of the U.S.’s “maximum pressure campaign” on Iran.
The Commerce Department plans to issue decisions on Huawei-related export license applications “within the next few weeks,” Secretary Wilbur Ross said July 23 on Bloomberg Television. Ross said Commerce has received about 50 applications from 35 companies. “We’re processing them as quickly as we responsibly can,” he said.
An American Enterprise Institute trade scholar says "Japan has chosen a dangerous and destructive mode of retaliation, one that is likely to greatly disrupt global electronic supply chains and bolster China’s push for dominance of 5G wireless," and it's not justified, even if South Korea has been provoking its former occupier.
Four Chinese nationals and a Chinese company were charged with violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and U.S. sanctions after they did business with sanctioned North Korean companies, the Justice Department said in a July 23 press release. The charges were brought against Ma Xiaohong, her company Dandong Hongxiang Industrial Development Co. Ltd. (DHID) and three of the company’s top executives: general manager Zhou Jianshu (Zhou), deputy general manager Hong Jinhua (Hong) and financial manager Luo Chuanxu (Luo).
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued an advisory on Iran’s “deceptive practices” in the civil aviation industry, detailing Iran’s use of commercial airlines for terrorism, weapons programs and sanctions violations. The eight-page advisory, issued July 23, lists several practices U.S. companies should be aware of to avoid violating U.S. sanctions against Iran. The advisory also reviews the U.S.’s current Iran sanctions regime as well as penalties for committing violations.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for July 15-19 in case they were missed.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control’s amendments to its reporting, procedures and penalties regulations has caused a “great deal of confusion” among U.S. companies, the American Association of Exporters and Importers said in July 22 comments to the agency. AAEI said several of the updates are unclear, including OFAC’s new reporting requirements for rejected transactions and the update that expands the scope of transactions that must be reported.