The Los Angeles and Long Beach ports again postponed by a week a new surcharge meant to incentivize the movement of dwelling containers (see 2110280031), the two ports announced May 27. The ports had planned to begin imposing the fee in November 2021 but have postponed it each week since. The latest extension delays the effective date until June 3.
Ian Cohen
Ian Cohen, Deputy Managing Editor, is a reporter with Export Compliance Daily and its sister publications International Trade Today and Trade Law Daily, where he covers export controls, sanctions and international trade issues. He previously worked as a local government reporter in South Florida. Ian graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Florida in 2017 and lives in Washington, D.C. He joined the staff of Warren Communications News in 2019.
The Treasury Department’s decision to end an exemption for certain Russia-related debt payments will cause the Russian government to default, the White House said last week. Treasury announced May 24 it would allow the license to expire, ending transactions necessary for dealings in debt or equity with Russia’s Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs Vnesheconombank, Bank Otkritie Financial, Sovcombank, Sberbank of Russia and VTB Bank (see 2205240054).
The U.S. plans to build on and improve its export controls and investment screening measures to keep China from acquiring sensitive technologies, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Blinken, in a speech outlining the Biden administration’s China policy, also urged industry to reassess whether the price of doing business in China is worth the benefits and to work with the administration to push back against Beijing's unfair market practices.
The European Commission this week announced two new proposals to harmonize how member states penalize sanctions violations and to modernize the EU’s recovery rules for sanctioned assets. The measures will help the EU better target and punish sanctions evaders, said Vera Jourova, the commission’s vice president for values and transparency. “The violation of EU sanctions is a serious crime and must come with serious consequences,” Jourova said. “We need EU-wide rules to establish that.”
Bureau of Industry and Security Undersecretary Alan Estevez said his top long-term priority is building a new multilateral export control regime, and he urged industry to continue considering diversifying away from China and Russia. He also said BIS is working hard to control emerging and foundational technologies and welcomes more input from industry, academia and think tanks.
The Bureau of Industry and Security this week finalized its new controls on cybersecurity items, making several changes to the rule’s language and addressing some questions from the public comment period. The changes include revisions to the definition of “government end user” and other actions to “clarify the scope of controls,” BIS said in a final rule effective May 26.
The U.S. and other techno-democracies should capitalize on their closely coordinated Russia sanctions work to create a new multilateral export control group, said two experts with Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology. A new regime, which would include a range of technology-producing nations that share democratic values, would help those countries address technology proliferation issues that existing regimes can not.
The Bureau of Industry and Security's upcoming shift in its administrative enforcement policies could signal a more aggressive posture toward cracking down on illegal exports and may change how companies voluntarily disclose violations, a former BIS agent said. But some lawyers say the policies could represent a minor shift, and it may be too early to tell how they will affect compliance decisions.
The Los Angeles and Long Beach ports again postponed by a week a new surcharge meant to incentivize the movement of dwelling containers (see 2110280031), the two ports announced May 20. The ports had planned to begin imposing the fee in November 2021 but have postponed it each week since. The latest extension delays the effective date until May 27.
The Bureau of Industry and Security last week suspended the export privileges of another Russian airline and identified a new plane likely violating U.S. export controls. The agency issued a 180-day temporary denial order for Rossiya Airlines, which blocks Rossiya’s ability to participate in transactions subject to the Export Administration Regulations. The U.K. also sanctioned the airline last week (see 2205190011).