The Office of Foreign Assets Control's new general license for Belavia Belarusian Airlines (see 2509110029), the state-owned flagship carrier of Belarus, was issued last week because Belarusian authorities recently released dozens of political prisoners, "demonstrating their desire to re-engage with the West," a State Department spokesperson said in an email Sept. 12.
The Bureau of Industry and Security has started restricting the public sessions of its technical advisory committee meetings, a move that has jeopardized a crucial outlet for industry feedback about new regulations, current and former administration officials and industry representatives said.
The Bureau of Industry and Security last week added 32 entities to the Entity List, most of them based in China, for either circumventing export controls on China, supplying controlled items to Russia, evading BIS end-use checks, supporting China’s military modernization, or other activities that BIS said breached U.S. export rules.
The Trump administration has withdrawn the nomination for Landon Heid to be the assistant secretary for export administration at the Bureau of Industry and Security. Steven Haines is serving in that role on an interim basis as he awaits Senate confirmation as assistant secretary for industry and analysis within the International Trade Administration, according to a BIS official. Spokespeople for BIS and the White House didn't respond to requests for comment.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is adding 32 entities to the Entity List for either circumventing export controls on China, supplying controlled items to Russia, evading BIS end-use checks or other activities that BIS said breached U.S. export rules. The additions include 23 entities located in China, along with others based in India, Singapore, Taiwan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, the agency said in a final rule released and effective Sept. 12. They will be subject to license requirements for all items subject to the Export Administration Regulations, and licenses will be reviewed under a presumption of denial or policy of denial.
Benjamin Haas, former Bureau of Industry and Security chief of staff during the Biden administration, has joined Highland Creek Advisors, a new Washington management consultancy, according to the firm's website. Haas left BIS in January.
Will Hunt has left his position as a senior adviser with the Bureau of Industry and Security's Office of Export Administration to join the House Select Committee on China as a senior fellow. Hunt first joined BIS in 2023 before leaving the agency this month, according to his LinkedIn profile.
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Anne Fisher, a former official with the Bureau of Industry and Security's chief counsel office, has joined Hogan Lovells' international trade and investment practice, the firm said. Fisher, who left BIS in July after first joining in October 2022, will advise on U.S. export control laws, economic sanctions, customs, foreign investment and other issues. She was at Hogan Lovells before going to BIS.
Although the Bureau of Industry and Security published a rule last month to ease certain export controls on Syria (see 2508280029), it also “retained significant parts” of its long-standing restrictions against the country, which could create new compliance challenges for some exporters, Troutman Pepper said in a client alert.