China this week released its first export control white paper, which includes an overview of its recently created export control law (see 2010190033), how it has sought to improve and coordinate its export restrictions with trading partners and its expectations for industry compliance. The paper also describes some new export control initiatives, including a broader enforcement approach and potential revisions to China’s export control list.
The Treasury Department’s new “dangerous” humanitarian-related general licenses for Afghanistan lack oversight and could empower the Taliban, said Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. McCaul said the licenses are “broad sanctions carveouts” that could “reward, legitimize and enable the same Taliban that took power by force and has shown no interest in abiding by international norms.”
The Office of Foreign Assets Control fined TD Bank about $115,000 for two separate instances of sanctions violations, the agency said Dec. 23. The bank illegally processed nearly 1,500 transactions that violated U.S. sanctions against North Korea and maintained two accounts for more than four years for a U.S. resident who was sanctioned under Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Sanctions Regulations. OFAC said both cases resulted from “multiple sanctions compliance breakdowns,” including human errors and screening deficiencies.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control published a new fact sheet, three new general licenses and other guidance to help humanitarian aid flow more easily to Afghanistan. The six-page guidance describes the various general licenses available for transactions involving Afghanistan, which now cover certain U.S. government activities, transactions involving international organizations and other humanitarian work. The guidance comes after months of banks and non-governmental organizations asking OFAC to provide more assurances that they won’t be caught by sanctions (see 2109020064).
The U.S. should lift all sanctions that may be preventing shipments of food, medicine and other humanitarian goods to Cuba, including restrictions on banks and personal remittances, more than 100 Democratic lawmakers wrote to President Joe Biden Dec. 14. Although the Treasury Department authorizes certain humanitarian aid to Cuba through its general licenses (see 2004160039 and 2108120025), the lawmakers said banks and humanitarian workers need more assurances.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Dec. 10 issued a new general license authorizing certain non-commercial, personal remittances to Afghanistan. General License No. 16 authorizes certain transactions involving the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, or any entity they own by 50% or more if those transactions are “ordinarily incident and necessary to the transfer” of personal remittances to Afghanistan.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control fined an unnamed person about $133,000 after they violated U.S. sanctions against Iran, OFAC said in a Dec. 8 notice. OFAC said the person accepted payment on behalf of an Iran-based company selling cement clinker to another company for a project in a third country.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned an additional 20 people, 12 entities and three aircraft for aiding the Alexander Lukashenko regime in Belarus. The agency also imposed new restrictions on dealings in Belarusian sovereign debt, and issued a new general license and 10 new frequently asked questions to provide guidance on the new sanctions.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control last week renewed a general license authorizing transactions between certain companies and Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. General License No. 8I, which replaces No. 8H (see 2106020003), authorizes transactions between PdVSA and Chevron, Halliburton, Schlumberger, Baker Hughes and Weatherford International, with certain restrictions, through 12:01 a.m. EDT June 1, 2022. The license was scheduled to expire Dec. 1.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control amended the Syrian Sanctions Regulations to expand an authorization for certain activities of nongovernmental organizations in Syria, OFAC said in final rule released Nov. 24. The rule, effective Nov. 26, expands a general license to allow NGOs to conduct certain “assistance-related investment activities in support of certain not-for-profit activities in Syria.” OFAC also amended the license to specify that it doesn’t apply to foreign people or entities that have been designated as a foreign terrorist organization or “otherwise designated as a terrorist organization by the Secretary of State.”