China criticized the Trump administration’s Xinjiang business advisory (see 2007010040) issued earlier this month, saying the guidance “seriously distorts the facts” and threatens to damage cooperation between U.S. and Chinese industries. The guidance -- which outlined export control, sanctions and forced labor risks for U.S. companies doing business in China’s Xinjiang region -- “undermines the stability of the global supply chain,” a Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson said July 14, according to an unofficial translation of a press release about a reporter's question on the topic. “This is bad for China, bad for the United States, and bad for the whole world,” the spokesperson said. “China will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.”
The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of July 1 (some may also be given separate headlines):
Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, asked White House trade adviser Peter Navarro to answer a series of questions related to former National Security Adviser John Bolton's assertion that President Donald Trump pleaded with China's president to buy more soybeans and wheat, so Trump could win re-election. He asked him to confirm the claim, and to say whether he was in all the meetings between Trump and the Chinese president that Bolton described. He asked for the answers by July 14.
The Trump administration issued an advisory for companies doing business with China’s Xinjiang region, which could expose companies to sanctions, export controls and forced labor risks. In a 19-page guidance issued July 1, the departments of State, Commerce, the Treasury and Homeland Security describe supply chain risks and possible sanctions exposure for companies trading with the region, and includes suggested due diligence practices. The guidance comes less than a month after President Donald Trump authorized sanctions against Chinese officials for human rights violations against the country’s Uighur population in the Xinjiang region (see 2006170064).
The Bureau of Industry and Security is adding 33 companies and governmental bodies to the Entity List for their roles in military and proliferation activities and human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang province, BIS said May 22. The two agency press releases do not mention an effective date.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is adding 33 companies and governmental bodies to the Entity List for their roles in military and proliferation activities and human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang province, BIS said May 22.
The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) for CBP will next meet April 15, remotely, beginning at 1 p.m., CBP said in a notice. Comments are due in writing by April 14.
The Department of Homeland Security plans to “expand its capacity to assess civil penalties and pursue criminal prosecutions against U.S. importers for violations of forced labor authorities,” it said in a recently released strategy document aiming at fighting forced labor imports and human trafficking. “DHS will consider streamlining regulatory frameworks guiding the process for forced labor enforcement actions,” it said. “DHS will also coordinate, consolidate, and publicize allegation and intake reporting channels and other information to ensure quality, actionable leads, gain information for ongoing cases, and verify forced labor allegations.“
Suzanne Kane and Chiara Klaui were named partners at Akin Gump, the law firm said in an emailed Jan. 3 news release. Kane's “work includes advising clients on mitigating the impact of the administration’s trade policies, particularly tariffs; representing clients in Customs and Border Protection enforcement actions, audits and internal investigations; counseling clients on intellectual property rights and forced labor compliance; and helping clients devise compliance programs.” the firm said. Klaui “is the go-to lawyer for clients seeking counsel on European Union (EU) export controls and trade sanctions and their interaction with, in particular, U.S. trade regulations.” Kane is based in Washington, while Klaui is in the firm's London office.
A bipartisan group of more than 45 lawmakers urged the Trump administration to impose strict sanctions on China’s treatment of its Uighur population, saying the October addition of 28 Chinese entities to the Commerce Department’s Entity List (see 1910070076) was not enough. “These measures were a first step that do not go far enough in ensuring accountability for China’s government and Communist Party,” the lawmakers said in a Dec. 12 letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.