The Bureau of Industry and Security this week added 13 Chinese companies to its Unverified List after it was unable to verify the “legitimacy and reliability” of the entities through end-use checks, including their ability to responsibly receive controlled U.S. exports. If BIS is unable to complete an end-use check on those companies within 60 days, it can move them to the more restrictive Entity List.
A trade group is urging the Bureau of Industry and Security to revise its export controls surrounding encryption and mass-market goods, saying some of those less-sensitive items should no longer be subject to strict license requirements. The group also asked BIS to eliminate some encryption-related reporting requirements that burden compliance professionals and said the agency should devote more resources to its licensing division, which will help speed up decisions on applications and classification requests.
The Bureau of Industry and Security recently published an advisory opinion that offers guidance on its genetic elements export controls under Export Control Classification Number 1C353.
Congress should require the Biden administration to strengthen export controls against China and give it new tools to restrict a broader range of inbound and outbound investments, the House Select Committee on China said in a Dec. 12 report.
New guidance from the Biden administration this week warned shippers, forwarders, brokers, ship owners and others involved in maritime and other transportation industries to better know their cargo, saying they each have a “responsibility” to craft their own “rigorous” compliance programs. The 10-page sanctions advisory specifically calls out freight forwarders, saying they play a “key role” in compliant supply chains.
The Bureau of Industry and Security this week released a host of export control changes designed to ease license requirements and expand license exceptions for certain exports of pathogens and toxins, crime-control goods and missile technology items to U.S. allies. The agency also proposed changes to License Exception Strategic Trade Authorization (STA) to try to convince more exporters to use the exception.
The Bureau of Industry and Security again renewed the temporary denial order for Belavia Belarusian Airlines, Belarus' state-owned national airline. BIS first suspended the export privileges of the airline in June (see 2206160015) and has renewed that suspension twice, barring it from participating in transactions with items subject to the Export Administration Regulations. The agency this week renewed the denial order for one year -- longer than the previous 180-day renewals -- after finding Belavia continues to illegally operate aircraft subject to the EAR, including for flights between Russia, Belarus, Turkey and Egypt.
The U.S. charged Belgian national Hans Maria De Geetere this week in two separate indictments for allegedly helping to illegally export "military-grade technology" from the U.S. to end-users in China and Russia, DOJ said. The agency said the business owner tried to procure more than $2 million worth of illegal exports from undercover government agents, and told one Commerce Department agent that a shipment was destined for Belgium when it was actually meant for Hong Kong.
The U.S. this week announced new sanctions and export controls against a host of companies and people for violating export restrictions against Russia, including a Belgian businessman and his defense component procurement network. Along with new Treasury Department sanctions, DOJ said it was preparing to release two indictments against the man, Hans De Geetere, and the Bureau of Industry and Security added De Geetere, his affiliated companies and other unrelated parties to the Entity List for illegally supplying Russia’s military and defense industrial base.
The Bureau of Industry and Security has released the beta version of its new website as it looks to officially replace its current site, which officials have called “dated” (see 2310310059). The agency said the beta site is an “in-progress version that incorporates new tools to access and use BIS regulations” but results “from this beta site may be inaccurate or incomplete and should not be relied upon for compliance with the” Export Administration Regulations.