1. Home
  2. |Insights
  3. |The Month in International Trade – June 2023

The Month in International Trade – June 2023

Client Alert | 17 min read | 07.11.23

Top Trade Developments

Crowell Welcomes

Crowell Promotions

Crowell Speaks

This news bulletin is provided by the International Trade Group of Crowell & Moring. If you have questions or need assistance on trade law matters, please contact Jana del-Cerro, Anand Sithian, or Simeon Yerokun or any member of the International Trade Group.

Top Trade Developments

House Democrats Introduce Legislation to Reauthorize and Update Key Trade Programs

On Thursday, June 22, House Democrats proposed a bill named the “American Worker and Trade Competitiveness Act”, which aims to reauthorize and update key trade programs aimed at enhancing U.S. trade competitiveness and supporting workers. Introduced by Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), ranking member of the Ways & Means trade subcommittee, the bill focuses on the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) and Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA).

Click here to continue reading the full version of this article.

For more information, contact: John Brew, Dmitry Bergoltsev

Detained Shipments Exceeding $1.3 Billion in UFLPA’s First Year

A year following the commencement of the UFPLA (Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act) in June 2022, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has apprehended nearly 4,300 shipments subject to UFLPA review or enforcement actions, with a combined value exceeding $1.3 billion. According to the agency’s data, this represents a significant increase compared to the $485 million worth of goods detained in 2021 and less than $50 million for 2020.

Click here to continue reading the full version of this article.

For more information, contact: John Brew, Dmitry Bergoltsev

Congress Continues to Target Section 321 – Lawmakers Call for USPS Data on China-Origin Shipments

On June 28, 2023, Mike Gallagher (R-WI) , Chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and James Comer (R-KY), Chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, jointly sent a formal letter addressed to USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy requesting data on Chinese-origin mail and shipments entering the United States. The letter also requests all records related to de minimis shipments from 2021-2022 and the total U.S. dollar value of terminal dues and inward land rates currently assessed to the PRC.

Click here to continue reading the full version of this article.

For more information, contact: John Brew, Dmitry Bergoltsev

Five Eyes Partners Reach Agreement on Export Control Enforcement Cooperation

On June 28, 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security issued a press release reporting formal cooperation amongst the Five Eyes Intelligence Oversight and Review Council (“Five Eyes”) to expand enforcement of export controls.  Five Eyes—an intelligence alliance between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and United States—formalized its cooperation amid concerns about illicit transactions and the diversion of controlled items to Russia.  This is the first agreement of its kind since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

With the agreement, Five Eyes will increase their exchange of information to identify export control evasion risks, prevent unauthorized transfers, and protect national security interests. This move expands the existing Five Eyes intelligence-sharing partnership between English-speaking nations. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod stated: “By formalizing our coordination, we hope to drive additional enforcement outcomes in each of the Five Eyes countries, including detentions, penalties, and public identification of diversionary actors.”

For more information, contact: Jason Prince, Laurel Saito

U.S. Department of Commerce Designates 43 Entities to Entity List

On Monday, June 12, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”)  added 43 new entities under 50 entries to its Entity List. This list includes 31 entities in China, as well as entities located in Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. The same day, BIS also removed one entity from the Entity List.

Click here to continue reading the full version of this alert.

For more information, contact: Jason Prince, Jana del-Cerro, Jeremy Iloulian, Dmitry Bergoltsev

Joint Agency Guidance to Exporters on Iran’s UAV Activities

On Friday, June 9, the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Justice, State, and the Treasury issued a joint guidance sheet on Iran’s unmanned aerial vehicles (“UAVs”) program (the “Iran UAV Guidance”). The Iran UAV Guidance highlighted (I) the threat Iran’s UAV program poses; (II) the key items that Iran relies on to expand its UAV program; (III) the expansion of U.S. export controls on Iran; (IV) U.S. sanctions imposed on Iran; (V) red flag indicators of export control evasion; and (VI) penalties for violating these laws.

Click here to continue reading the full version of this alert.

For more information, contact: Jana del-Cerro, Jeremy Iloulian, Jason Prince, Jeff Snyder

Crowell Welcomes

Daniel Gyamfi is an international trade analyst in Crowell & Moring’s International Trade Group and a resident in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. He joined Crowell after spending two years as a Legal Administrative Assistant at another Washington law firm preparing draft OFAC and BIS license applications. Previous to that, Daniel worked as an Administrative Assistant at the International Monetary Fund. At Crowell, he provides practice support to the International Trade Group on economic sanctions matters. Daniel is responsible for "Know Your Customer" (KYC) counterparty due diligence. This includes (a) research (using internal and external databases) to identify beneficial ownership, (b) screening of all counterparties against sanctions and other denied party lists, and (c) broader transactional reviews to identify any other potential red flags related to sanctions, AML, corruption, bribery, or other financial crime risks.

Crowell Promotions

Please join the International Trade Group in congratulating our International Trade Analysts on their recent promotions.

Crowell Speaks

US Warns Banks Over Wagner Group Gold Risks
July 5, 2023 — Global Trade Review
Related Professionals: Jason Prince

“Sanctions and Export Controls: Ensuring Compliance” – Webinar (June 29, 2023). Speaker: Jason Prince.

Contacts

Insights

Client Alert | 3 min read | 04.26.24

CFIUS Proposes Enhanced Enforcement and Mitigation Rules and Steeper Penalties for Non-Compliance

On April 11, 2024, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS” or the “Committee”) announced proposed amendments to its enforcement and mitigation regulations, marking the first substantive update to CFIUS’s mitigation and enforcement provisions since the enactment of the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018.  The Committee issued a notice of proposed rulemaking ("NPRM”) that would modify the regulations that apply to certain investments and acquisitions, as well as real estate transactions, by foreign persons as follows:...

View All Insights