China’s Foreign Ministry criticized the passage of a bill in a House committee that could change Hong Kong’s special status in customs and export controls. The bill, the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act (see 1909250053), would also require the Trump administration to assess whether Hong Kong is “adequately” enforcing U.S. export control and sanctions regulations.
China criticized the U.S.’s decision to sanction Chinese companies and people for transferring oil from Iran, saying it will take “necessary measures” if the sanctions are not revoked. “We strongly urge the U.S. to immediately correct its wrongdoing,” a China Foreign Ministry spokesperson said during a Sept. 26 press conference, according to a transcript in English released by the Chinese Embassy in Washington. “China has taken and will continue to take necessary measures to safeguard the legal rights and interests of its businesses.”
While U.S. authorities have not released any details on U.S. tariff reductions for Japanese imports, even to stakeholders, a press release from Japan's Economy, Ministry and Industry describes the reductions, which will add up to tens of millions of dollars annually.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned one entity, three people and five ships for evading U.S. sanctions and delivering jet fuel to Russian forces in Syria, Treasury said Sept. 26.
The U.S. does not plan on easing sanctions on Iran, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, even after reports that the administration considered lifting restrictions to encourage a meeting between President Donald Trump and Iran's President Hassan Rouhani (see 1909110039).
Imposing sanctions and export controls on certain people and entities in Hong Kong for human rights violations may not achieve the U.S.’s goal and may only hurt U.S. companies, said William Reinsch, an international business chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The Directorate of Defense Control’s Defense Export Control and Compliance System will be unavailable Sept. 28 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. EDT for system updates and maintenance, the DDTC said Sept. 25. Users will not be able to submit Advisory Opinion or Commodity Jurisdiction requests during the outage. DDTC said the time window for the maintenance may change. Questions or concerns should be directed to the DDTC Help Desk at (202) 663-2838 or dtradehelpdesk@state.gov.
An Iranian citizen was sentenced to 27 months in prison for conspiring to illegally export technology to Iran, the Justice Department said Sept. 24. Negar Ghodskani pleaded guilty to the charges in August and admitted using a front company he helped found, Malaysia-based Green Wave Telecommunication, to buy export-controlled technology from the U.S. and hide the ultimate end-user and destination, located in Iran (see 1908120016).
Two Hong Kong bills that could affect trade with the Chinese territory passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee Sept. 25. H.R. 4270, the PROTECT Hong Kong Act, would ban the export of tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray to Hong Kong, so that U.S. companies aren't complicit with crackdowns on protestors (see 1909190040).
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control on Sept. 25 announced sanctions on two subsidiaries of COSCO Shipping Corporation and clarified that the designation does not apply to their parent company or any of other COSCO affiliates. In total, OFAC announced sanctions on five people and six entities and issued a new Frequently Asked Questions document.