All transactions with two sanctioned Burmese banks must have been wound down by August 5, according to the State Department. In June, the United States designated two of Burma’s military regime-controlled banks, Myanma Foreign Trade Bank and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank.

Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party continued his quest with a letter calling for the Federal Communications Commisssion to answer questions about the role of the Chinese in the market for "Cellular IoT Modules," the radio devices which connect industrial equipment and home appliances to each other and central stations through the internet. Later in the week, Mr. Gallagher led a fact-finding mission to Australia to deliver a speech on "United States and Australia's rich history united by freedom, security imperatives, economic interests, and common values," according to a statement.

The United States and Mexico announced yesterday they have agreed on steps to address worker rights violations at a Mexican denim factory that is one of Levi’s largest suppliers. The course of remediation will address denials of rights at the Industrias del Interior facility in the state of Aguascalientes.

On August 9 President Biden issued an Executive Order focused on national security threats stemming from U.S. investments in the People's Republic of China (PRC), specifically those related to technologies critical for military and intelligence capabilities. The E.O. aims to protect U.S. national security while maintaining open investment. It sets forth a new program, focusing on prohibiting certain U.S. transactions and requiring notifications to Treasury regarding others, specifically related to the following technology areas: Semiconductors and microelectronics Quantum information technologies Certain artificial intelligence systems

Departing Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division Kenneth Polite told Reuters the department’s enforcement pipeline has several more “global resolutions,” or large corporate settlements pending in coming months. Mr. Polite, who will be joining Sidley Austin in October after overseeing corporate resolutions such as Glencore, ABB, Danske, and Stericycle attributed the backlog to COVID related- delays.  Polite said to expect "much larger schemes and activities."

In remarks last week in Lexington, Kentucky,  Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson spoke to common concerns about the implementation of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) which requires certain U.S. and foreign companies to report to FinCEN information about their beneficial owners: "FinCEN is working around the clock to stand up this program in a way that allows you to understand your obligations, provides you the resources to meet them, and ensures the smallest possible burden on you.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced a combined award exceeding $104 million to seven whistleblowers, marking the fourth largest sum in the SEC’s whistleblower program's history. Several of the whistleblowers are reported to be foreign nationals, reporting misconduct in "multiple territories".

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated Riad Salameh, the former governor of Lebanon's central bank, and four of his close associates for corrupt and unlawful activities. Salameh allegedly used his position to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars through shell companies for personal enrichment, investing in European real estate. The sanctions do not extend to the Banque du Liban (BdL) or its U.S. correspondent bank relationships.

The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), will survey U.S. exporters and commercial lending institutions to understand their experience with EXIM “meeting financial competition from …

The Census Bureau issues this final rule amending its regulations to reflect new export reporting requirements related to the State Department, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) Category XXI Determination Number. Specifically, the Census Bureau is adding a conditional data element, DDTC Category XXI Determination Number, when “21” is selected in the DDTC USML Category Code field in the Automated Export System (AES) to represent United States Munitions List (USML) Category XXI.

Bureau of Industry and Security, Department of Commerce published a request for comment on the Additional Protocol to the United States—International Atomic Energy Agency Safeguards The Additional Protocol requires the United States to submit declaration forms to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on a number of commercial nuclear and nuclear-related items, materials, and activities that may be used for peaceful nuclear purposes, but also would be necessary elements for a nuclear weapons program.

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is issuing Belarus General Licenses authorizing the wind down of transactions with a Byelorussian Steel Works and Airline. The Action includes the addition of a Miami, FL based steel trader and the Minsk Civil Aviation Plant 407, "the leading enterprise in the CIS and the countries of the former USSR in repair, modernization and maintenance of the Yak-40, Yak-42, Yak-52, Tu-134 aircraft of all modifications," according to the company website.

The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission invites submission of proposals to provide a concise, one-time unclassified report on China’s Advanced Remote Sensing Technologies and Applications, which should assess China’s objectives and approach to advanced remote sensing technologies. Proposals must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. (ET) on September 8, 2023.

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is amending the Mali Sanctions Regulations and reissuing them in their entirety.   This regulatory amendment took effect …

Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security, Commerce Department is calling for comments on the Five-Year Records Retention Requirement for Export Transactions and Boycott Actions. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on April 5, 2023, during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.

Mexico's Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare responded to the US Government regarding the labor dispute at the country's largest underground mine, asserting that the events leading to the strike and the subsequent denial of rights occurred before the implementation of the treaty in 2020. Consequently, under the principle of non-retroactivity of the law, the MLRR does not apply to this dispute.

 While Congress takes a Summer recess, Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and his Congressional Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party continue to badger communists and their supporters at every turn, from coastal investment elites to row crop farmers in Iowa. Thursday, Mr. Gallagher, Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), and Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA), hosted a roundtable event in Dysart, Iowa to highlight the Chinese Communist Party's agricultural technology theft.   

The Titanium Sponge Working Group (TSWG), established under the Trump administration in 2020, has released a report highlighting increased dependence of the U.S. on imported titanium sponge, a crucial raw material for titanium metal production. According to the TSWG's findings, U.S. dependency on imported titanium sponge has risen dramatically from 68% in 2020 to 100% today, emphasizing a severe reliance on overseas supplies. These findings underscore the urgency for measures ensuring access to this critical input, which plays a pivotal role in the defense and industrial sectors, particularly in aerospace applications.

Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) refers to software that is released with a license that grants users the freedom to use, modify, and distribute the software. FOSS provides numerous benefits for developers, including collaborative development, flexibility, and the ability to leverage existing solutions. However, it also requires careful license compliance, intellectual property considerations, security awareness, community evaluation, integration management and as you will come to understand, unique Trade Control challenges.

The Uyghur Region produces between one third and one half of the world’s solar-grade polysilicon, as well as much as 32% of global metallurgical grade silicon (MGS), polysilicon’s pre-cursor material.    So if it's a solar panel, the odds are good slavery had a hand making it. Alan Crawford and Laura Murphy of Sheffield Hallam University published a review of the solar panel supply chain and its potential exposure to modern slavery, and the findings were discouraging. “Despite significant global pressure for increased transparency, information regarding solar industry sourcing is becoming less transparent over time, thwarting the world’s ability to source ethically,” the Authors write.