The Commerce Department will hold the first meeting of its Emerging Technology Technical Advisory Committee May 19, the agency said in a notice in the Federal Register. The committee will focus on identifying emerging technologies with dual uses for potential control by the Bureau of Industry and Security, which is working on restricting exports of both emerging and foundational technologies (see 2002040057). The first meeting is expected to feature remarks from BIS management. The meeting was originally scheduled for December and January before being delayed both times due to issues getting members their security clearances (see 2002240033).
The Commerce Department issued a correction to its final rule that revised the country groups for Russia and Yemen under the Export Administration Regulations (see 2002210031), the agency said in a notice. The notice corrects the rule to “provide an instruction” to remove Yemen from Country Group B, which was the intention of the rule.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned the Nicaraguan National Police (NNP) and three police commissioners, and issued two general licenses and a new frequently asked question, according to a March 5 news release. The sanctions target the police force for its role in human rights abuses, Treasury said, as well as commissioners Juan Antonio Valle Valle, Luis Alberto Perez Olivas and Justo Pastor Urbina for their roles as senior leaders of the group.
China should address and clarify several of its proposed export control provisions announced in its draft export law (see 2002040059 and 2001100047), more than 10 U.S., European and Japanese trade associations said in comments. The comments, released in February by the Center for Information on Security Trade Control, said the country should take “careful consideration” before finalizing the law and said trade associations have “significant outstanding concerns.” The comments were endorsed by the U.S. Computing Technology Industry Association and the National Association of Manufacturers.
The Commerce Department is “pushing forward” on increased restrictions of foreign exports to Huawei that contain U.S. content, Secretary Wilbur Ross said during a March 5 Senate hearing. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., told Ross he hopes Commerce follows through with the restrictions -- which would include changes to the de minimis rule and the Direct Product Rule (see 2002050047) -- adding that Commerce has been “appropriately aggressive” in pursuing more stringent controls on technology exports to Huawei and China. But Van Hollen noted that Commerce has faced pushback from other parts of the Trump administration, including the Defense and the Treasury Departments (see 2001240012).
The United Kingdom’s Export Control Joint Unit updated its guidance for its revoked open general export licenses for chemicals, according to a March 3 notice. The guidance provides revoked versions of the OGELs as a reference for exporters, the notice said.
Increases in Indian tariffs and a push by India to increase domestic manufacturing (see 2001270016) are hurting the toy industry, The Toy Association said March 3. The trade group said India recently issued its second duty increase on toys in two years, raising tariffs from 22% to 66% in February. The association said it is working with trade association partners in India, the European Union and elsewhere, and coordinating with the Trump administration to advocate against the tariff increases. But the effort is proving difficult due to India’s “Made in India” push driven by “a strained relationship between China and India and budgetary concerns,” the association said.
The United Kingdom’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation amended an entry in its ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida sanctions regulations, according to a March 4 notice. The action amends the entry for Amadou Koufa, the founder of a West African terrorist group who was sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council in February (see 2002050016). Koufa is still subject to an asset freeze.
Huawei was involved in illegally sending U.S.-origin computer equipment to Iran, according to a March 2 Reuters report. Reuters said it reviewed two Huawei “packing lists” from 2010 that show Huawei sent equipment made by Hewlett-Packard Co. destined for Iran’s largest mobile phone carrier. The documents provide the “strongest documentary evidence to date” of Huawei violating U.S. sanctions despite claims from Huawei that it has not violated sanctions, Reuters said.
In the Feb. 25 - March 3 editions of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted: