he Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is publishing three web general licenses (GLs) issued in the Syria Sanctions Regulations, Iran Transactions and Sanctions …

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has implemented adjustments to the ten-digit statistical reporting categories in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). These alterations impact two exclusions reinstated in association with the Section 301 investigation into China’s Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation, originally outlined at 87 FR 17380 (March 28, 2022).

The State Department has published a Memo articulating the AUKUS Trade Authorization Mechanism (ATAM)designed to facilitate trade of U.S. defense articles and defense services between the United States, the UK, and Australia in support of AUKUS programs, The AUKUS Trade Authorization Mechanism will provide a consistent framework that will cover Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) (private sector-to-government or private sector-to-private sector transfers) as well as some items that were previously sold as Foreign Military Sales (FMS) (government-to-government agreements) but may be handled as DCS under ATAM.

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Chair of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) of the Education and the Workforce Committee, recently sent a letter to the President and Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley. expressing concerns about the University's joint institute with Tsinghua University and the Shenzhen government in China.. The lawmakers pointed out that the Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute (TBSI) provides the People's Republic of China (PRC) with easy access to Berkeley's research and expertise. They emphasized that this access potentially allows the PRC to gain economic, technological, and military advantages.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has approved the transfer of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, a move that signifies progress for the AUKUS security pact. The decision was part of the National Defense Authorization Act, granting Australia a unique 20-year exemption from the stringent export rules of ITAR.

The Department of Commerce launched the Data Privacy Framework (DPF) program website today, enabling eligible U.S. companies to self-certify their participation in the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework …

A Russian citizen alleged to have ties with Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) will face charges in a U.S. court today. The charges relate to conspiracy, money laundering, and participating in a …

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), declared the enforcement of financial penalties against two defense companies,  resolving alleged infractions of the antiboycott regulations of the …

New foreign direct investment in the United States dropped by $185.1 billion – or 51 percent – in 2022, compared to the $362.6 billion recorded the previous year, the Commerce Department reported last week. Expenditures by foreign direct investors to acquire, establish or expand US businesses totaled $177.5 billion in 2022, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis report.

The European Commission has adopted its adequacy decision for the European Union-US Data Privacy Framework, concluding that the United States ensures an adequate level of protection – …

The U.S. Treasury Department announced that Andrea Gacki has been appointed as the new Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Previously, Gacki served as the head of the …

The Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) announced their approval of a 400 million dollar credit guarantee for the trading book of a Swiss commodity trader. Financial Institution Buyer Credit (FIBC) policies backstop credit lines for Geneva – based Trafigura to broker natural gas purchases from the US “primarily to European Buyers,” according to the EXIM announcement.

Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions today on Aleksandar Vulin, a high-ranking Serbian official. Vulin has been associated with various illegal activities, including transnational organized crime and drug trafficking. As the Director of Serbia’s Security Information Agency, and former Minister of Defense and Minister of the Interior, Vulin is accused of exploiting his official roles to further Russia's interests in the Western Balkans, negatively affecting the region's stability and security.

Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Chairman of the Select Committee on the CCP, and Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA) today unveiled a key piece of legislation that aims to broaden the …

A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party introduced legislation aimed at …

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the U.S. National Intelligence Director (ODNI) have declared the fulfillment of their commitments under President Joe Biden's Executive Order (EO) 14086 regarding the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework. Since 2020, when the European Court of Justice nullified the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield agreement due to concerns about U.S. government surveillance activities, the U.S. and the EU have been on a quest to establish a new data flow mechanism. This decision unsettled transatlantic data transfers and necessitated a resolution that would ensure enhanced privacy and data protection for EU data subjects. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a press statement that the DOJ's designation of EU member states, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, as "qualifying states." These designations allow citizens of these nations to seek redress through the proposed Data Protection Review Court, offering enhanced U.S. privacy protections in the process.

Former senior London police officer, Nick Ephgrave, is set to lead the UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO). The agency, known for investigating major business crimes, recently faced controversies and …

 The Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration (ITA) includes the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service (CS), which assists and advocates for U.S. businesses in international markets.  CS is seeking feedback from the general public—including businesses that are new to exporting or not currently exporting—on ways to modernize services for the 21st century.

Emily S. Weinstein and Kevin Wolf, in their publication for Georgetown University's CSET, propose the application of existing U.S. "catch-all" export controls to manage the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, including large language models (LLMs) such as GPT-4. They argue that the Bureau of Industry and Security's (BIS) "catch-all" controls, part of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), could be an effective tool to mitigate potential misuse of AI and LLMs, particularly in the context of weapons development or battlefield deployment.

The European Union has established an anti-circumvention framework, akin to the United States' "secondary sanctions" system, which potentially empowers the EU to sanction third countries that assist trade with nations under sanctions, including Russia. However, EU officials suggest that this framework may be a diplomatic deterrent more than an immediate plan of action, as the bloc seeks to avoid driving these third-party nations towards Russia and China.