Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security issued a guidance on Aug. 20 about the disclosure of technology or software subject to export controls “between and among members of standards setting or development groups or bodies.” BIS said it issued the guidance after receiving “a number of questions” about the temporary general license for Huawei and the Chinese company’s addition to the Entity List. The guidance tries to clarify which activities are prohibited among standards organizations when discussing Huawei and its Entity Listing.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo dismissed the notion that the Trump administration has sent mixed messages on Huawei, saying the president’s plans have “been unambiguous.” Pompeo’s comments came days after Trump said the U.S. would not be extending a temporary general license for Huawei, followed by the Commerce Department extending the license for 90 days (see 1908190039).
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with some of the top stories for Aug. 12-16 in case they were missed.
Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security on Aug. 19 renewed the temporary general license for Huawei and added 46 more of the company’s non-U.S. affiliates to the Entity List, bringing the total number of impacted Huawei affiliates to more than 100.
The Bureau of Industry and Security renewed the temporary general license for Huawei and added 46 more of Huawei’s non-U.S. affiliates to the Entity List. The changes, which take effect Aug. 19, extend the general license’s expiration date from Aug. 19 to Nov. 18 and make several other technical changes to entries on the Entity List, including adding new aliases and addresses.
The United Kingdom updated guidance for two defense-related general licenses on Aug. 13. For the U.K.'s open general export license for "military goods for demonstration," the U.K. will now allow the option for the goods to remain under the control of the exporter’s agent. For its open general export license on "historic military vehicles and artillery pieces," including “vintage” vehicles built 50 years or more before the export date that are exported to European Union countries for no longer than three months, "exporters are no longer required to register," the updated guidance said.
The Treasury Department’s most recent Venezuela-related general licenses “stop just short of a total embargo” on the country’s government, said Adrienne Braumiller, a trade lawyer and member of the Commerce Department’s Regulations and Procedures Technical Advisory Committee. Some companies will need to pay close attention to the updated expiration dates for certain general licenses, she said, and banks will be faced with a “new level of depth” to the complexity of screening their customers.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control on Aug. 6 issued a set of Venezuela-related frequently asked questions, amended 12 general licenses, created 13 new general licenses and released a Venezuela sanctions guidance detailing which types of transactions are authorized between U.S. companies and Venezuela. The moves were in coordination with President Donald Trump’s Aug. 5 executive order that expanded certain sanctions on Venezuela.
As the U.S. continues to impose broad sanctions, companies are increasingly turning away from deals, fearing compliance risks, sanctions lawyers and experts said. While the Trump administration has tried to mitigate sanctions impacts on industry through advance notices, guidance and wind-down periods, the experts said, some of the damages have been unavoidable.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued an amended general license on July 26 that authorizes certain transactions with Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., Venezuela's state-run oil company. General License 8B, replacing General License 8A, authorizes certain transactions made before July 26 that are necessary to maintain agreements with Venezuela. The license authorizes the transactions for Chevron Corp., Halliburton, Schlumberger Ltd., Baker Hughes and Weatherford International, the license says. The transactions are authorized until Oct. 25.