The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is looking to speed up its processing of advisory opinion requests, a government official said during the Bureau of Industry and Security's annual conference last week.

U.S. government officials at the Bureau of Industry and Security’s annual conference last week underscored the value of Mandarin-language skills when conducting due diligence on potential Chinese customers.

Ocean carriers COSCO Shipping Lines and Orient Overseas Container Line Limited violated U.S. shipping regulations when they failed to perform their “inland transportation obligations," charged unfair detention and demurrage fees, and refused to release cargo, Samsung Electronics America said in two separate complaints filed with the Federal Maritime Commission on March 28.

A new list published last week by the Bureau of Industry and Security names more than 150 entities that have asked companies to boycott goods from certain countries. BIS hopes the list helps “raise awareness” among companies, financial institutions, freight forwarders and others about where boycott requests may come from, allowing them to better comply with the agency’s anti-boycott regulations, said Matthew Axelrod, the BIS assistant secretary for export enforcement.

The State Department on March 22 completed a round of interagency review for a proposed rule that could make changes to registration fees under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The agency had sent the rule to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Oct. 17 (see 2310190005). An agency official last year said the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls was preparing to soon propose changes to those fees (see 2310120063).

The Bureau of Industry and Security recently officially launched its new website. The agency had been operating a beta version of the website since at least December (see 2312040016). The new site has tabs on licensing information, enforcement updates, export guidance, a tool to search the Export Administration Regulations and more.

The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking public comments on three information collections involving export activities. Comments for each are due May 24.

A U.S. protective equipment supplier accused Mediterrenaen Shipping Co., FedEx Trade Networks Transport & Brokerage, and Total Terminals International of assessing unfair detention and demurrage, failing to extend free time and failing to send an invoice for other charges, it said in a complaint to the Federal Maritime Commission.

If Donald Trump is elected to a second presidential term, his administration should focus on communicating better with other governments and American companies about upcoming policy decisions, said Elisabeth Braw, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Security Initiative.

The State Department approved two potential military sales, to Bahrain and Morocco, worth about $2.5 billion combined, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said this week.