A Chinese national pleaded guilty October 17 to charges associated with the shipment of semiconductor manufacturing equipment without the required export license. In pleading guilty, Lin Chen, 65, admitted to procuring a wafer cutting machine on behalf of an entity designated on the Department of Commerce’s Entity List.
The US-China Economic Working Group met on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. US and Chinese officials would be “digging in” on US concerns about Chinese production overcapacity again this week, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said told reporters Tuesday.. The working group has been “digging in” on the overcapacity issue to see if the two sides can come to a common understanding to address the problem, Yellen said. The U.S. side "continued to raise concerns related to China’s industrial overcapacity and its impact on U.S. workers and firms," according to the readout at the meeting's end.
Reports that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation chips have fueled the artificial intelligence accelerators of Chinese chip maker Huawei signal a “catastrophic failure of US export control policy,” according to House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar (R-Mich). TSMC said in a statement on Monday that it had proactively reached out to the Commerce Department regarding the matter. It said it had not supplied chips to Huawei since mid-September 2020. “We are not aware of TSMC being the subject of any investigation at this time,” the company said.
For the 29th time, the United States is asking Mexico to review whether workers at a Mexican facility are being denied their rights. The request, under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s rapid response labor mechanism, asks for a review ofwhether workers at Odisa Concrete Equipment SA de CV, in Hidalgo, Mexico, are being denied the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining.
The Treasury Department released final rules Thursday for the Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit, which aims to encourage US companies to onshore production of critical clean energy technologies like solar and windcomponents, batteries and energy storage and critical minerals. The final rules will expand the US clean energy manufacturing base, create good-paying jobs, strengthen thenation’s energy security and build the reliable and responsible supply chains needed to meet US climate goals, Treasury said.
A new White House directive on artificial intelligence in part responds to concerns about China’s use of AI against its own people and against the United States and its allies, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday. Earlier in the week he stated that the Administration is not walking away from international trade, but it is walking away from outdated trade policies that no longer work.
A middle eastern sales executive for a US mining equipment company was found guilty of participating in a ruse to ship equipment to Iran while representing to his employer the destination was Iraq. Brian Assi conspired with individuals in Tehran, Iran, to export U.S.-made heavy machinery indirectly to Iran without first obtaining the required licenses from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General (PADAG) Marshall Miller addressed the New York City Bar Compliance Institute, delivering a comprehensive overview of the Department of Justice’s …
OFAC sanctioned Mirghani Idris Suleiman for leading the Sudanese Armed Forces’ (SAF) efforts to acquire weapons for use in its ongoing war with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Since April 2023, fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, has resulted in the displacement of more than 10.2 million people, including internally displaced people (IDPs), asylum seekers and refugees, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
A Florida woman was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for her role in a scheme to sell Turkish - origin components to the Department of Defense, misrepresenting the country of origin and manufacturing specifications. The components were intended for use in the Navy Nimitz and Ford Class Aircraft Carriers, Navy Submarines, Marine Corps Armored Vehicles, and Army M-60 Series Tank and Abrahams Battle Tanks, among other weapons systems.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released operational statistics Tuesday for Fiscal Year 2024, including September 2024’s monthly operational update. CBP monthly reporting can be viewed …
Chinese authorities announced new regulations on the export control of dual-use items, effective December 1, 2024. These measures aim to enhance China’s export control governance, align with international non-proliferation commitments, and bolster global non-proliferation efforts. The newly issued rules establish a permit system for the export of dual-use items, including a list of restricted goods. The regulations will abolish the existing registration system for exporters of dual-use items.
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) added 26 entities to the Entity List, while giving relief to one Canadian firm for substantive reforms to its business practices. Sandvine Incorporated, an entity listed under the destinations of Canada, India, Japan, Malaysia, Sweden, and the UAE, has been removed following significant reforms to address and prevent the misuse of its technology in ways that undermine democracy and abuse human rights
Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued an updated Maritime Oil Industry Advisory for both government and private sector actors involved in the global maritime industry. Prepared by the Price Cap Coalition, (G7, the European Union, Australia, and New Zealand, the Advisory makes ":recommendations" which are routinely ignored by the relevant players, notably buyers China and India, Convenience Registries (Liberia, Maldives, Eswatini and the like), as well as firms located in G-7, EU or other third countries who disregard "advisories" when there is money to be made.
The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security Regulations and Procedures Technical Advisory Committee held their quarterly meeting Tuesday, with a wary eye towards the year end and potential for a change of regime.
The United States, South Korea and Japan announced the formation of a Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) on North Korea as an alternative to the dissolved U.N. panel of experts that had monitored sanctions enforcement until April. VOA reports that members of the former U.N. panel of experts said the new mechanism could function effectively but might be hurt by the lack of a United Nations mandate. China and Russia, two of the five veto-wielding Security Council permanent members, will not participate in the newly formed team.
Thursday OFAC sanctioned eighteen companies, individuals, and vessels for their ties to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF)-backed Houthi financial official Sa’id al-Jamal (al-Jamal) and his network. Included in this action are the captains of vessels transporting illicit oil as well as the companies that managed and operated these ships.
Thursday OFAC announced it is targeting three entities and one individual for their involvement in the development and production of Russia’s Garpiya series long-range attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). While the United States previously imposed sanctions on PRC entities providing critical inputs to Russia’s military-industrial base, these are the first U.S. sanctions imposed on PRC entities directly developing and producing complete weapons systems in partnership with Russian firms.
The Department of State proposes amendments to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) focused on revisions to U.S. Munitions List (USML) Categories IV (Missiles and Launch Systems) and XV (Spacecraft and Space Items). The aim is to modernize the regulatory text, clarify definitions, and align the controls with national security and foreign policy objectives.
A "customs-related misunderstanding" is currently affecting the world's largest dronemaker's ability to import select drones into the United States, Da-Jiang Innovation (DJI) calls the action "part of a broader initiative by the Department of Homeland Security to scrutinize the origins of products, particularly in the case of Chinese made drones." U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has cited the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), as the reason for the current holdups.