The Office of Foreign Assets Control amended the Syrian Sanctions Regulations to expand an authorization for certain activities of nongovernmental organizations in Syria, OFAC said in final rule released Nov. 24. The rule, effective Nov. 26, expands a general license to allow NGOs to conduct certain “assistance-related investment activities in support of certain not-for-profit activities in Syria.” OFAC also amended the license to specify that it doesn’t apply to foreign people or entities that have been designated as a foreign terrorist organization or “otherwise designated as a terrorist organization by the Secretary of State.”
The Bureau of Industry and Security added 27 entities to the Entity List for illegally selling technology to China, North Korea and other sanctioned countries, for supporting China’s military modernization efforts or for contributing to Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programs, the agency said Nov. 24. The Entity List additions include a range of laboratories and companies operating in the semiconductor, microelectronics and machinery sectors in China, Japan, Pakistan and Singapore, including several major Chinese chip companies.
China issued new regulations on the administration of filing customs declarations that will take effect Jan. 1, the General Administration of Customs said in a Nov. 19 notice, according to an unofficial translation. The measures include requiring consignees of import and export goods to file customs declarations with the appropriate customs declaration unit, along with more specific rules, including mandating certain entities that engage in non-trade import and export activities to make temporary filings. These entities include state agencies, schools, scientific research institutes and permanent representative offices in China established by overseas news, economic and trade organizations.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal agreed to continue working to resolve outstanding trade issues "to reach convergence in the near future," according to a joint statement released Nov. 23 at the conclusion of the India-U.S. Trade Policy Forum (TPF) in New Delhi. Both countries discussed wanting better treatment of their exports. "India highlighted its interest in restoration of its beneficiary status under the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences program; the United States noted that this could be considered, as warranted, in relation to the eligibility criteria determined by the U.S. Congress."
The U.S. this week announced new sanctions against a shipping company and its vessel for their involvement in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. The State Department designated the vessel Marlin and Transadria Ltd., which it called a “Russia-linked entity,” under the Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act of 2019. The agency also said it "listed" another vessel in a report to Congress pursuant to PEESA, but it didn't name the vessel and didn't say whether it would be sanctioned.
The Treasury Department is seeking comments on an information collection relating to the Rough Diamonds Control Regulations administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, the agency said in a notice released Nov. 23. The collection includes information on certain customs and reporting requirements for shipments of rough diamonds. Comments are due Dec. 24.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for Nov. 15-19 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The Bureau of Industry and Security will add 27 entities to the Entity List for illegally selling technology to sanctioned countries, for supporting China’s military modernization efforts or for contributing to Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programs. The Entity List additions include laboratories and companies operating in the semiconductor, microelectronics and machinery sectors located in China, Japan, Pakistan and Singapore, and are partly aimed at preventing U.S. emerging technologies from being used for China's quantum computing efforts, the Commerce Department said. The agency will also add one entity to its military end-user list under Russia.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls this week updated and issued a host of new guidance to address industry questions related to debarments, disclosures and export controls violations. The 17 new FAQs, published about three weeks after the agency said it was preparing new guidance at the request of the Defense Trade Advisory Group, address a range of compliance issues, among them what should be included in voluntary disclosures, how the agency treats those disclosures, how they affect licensing, and differences between a debarment rescission and reinstatement of export privileges.
The European Union opened registration for its 2021 Export Control Forum, the European Commission and the Slovenian Presidency of the European Council said. Inviting members from EU member states, industry, academia and civil society to participate in the Dec. 8 forum in Brussels, the commission said the event will focus on EU and global export control developments along with the first steps for the implementation of the new dual-use regulation that took effect Sept. 9.