In the latest development of a decades-long trade dispute between Canada and the United States, the Canadian government has filed for a judicial review of last month's U.S. Commerce Department's assessment on softwood lumber duties. International Trade Minister Mary Ng described the levies as "unfair, unjust, and illegal" in a statement released earlier this week. The U.S. Commerce Department's fourth administrative review established a combined duty rate of 7.99%, a slight decrease from the previous rate of 8.59%. Canada’s softwood producers say they have paid more than $8-billion in lumber duties to the U.S. from 2017 to 2022.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has accepted an Offer of Settlement from Minnesota's 3M Company, closing its investigation into violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by 3M's …
After complaining since at least 2005 that "we really need to do something about ITAR. It is really hurting U.S. industry,” and citing export controls for not hiring eligible non-citizens, South African immigrant Elon Musk's company SpaceX has been sued by the Justice Department for employment discrimination. The United States Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) for discriminating against asylees and refugees in its hiring process. The lawsuit contends that from September 2018 to May 2022, SpaceX deliberately discouraged such individuals from applying for positions within the company, violating the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
Chinese printer manufacture Ninestar, parent of Lexmark International, has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other related parties of the U.S. government before the U.S. Court of International Trade. DHS added Ninestar and certain of its subsidiaries to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List, and the company "is suffering irreparable harm to its business and reputation based on the listing," according to a statement.
The Administration Thursday pulled the trigger on establishing a dispute settlement panel under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement challenging Mexico’s ban on biotech corn. At issue is Mexico’s February 13, 2023 decree, banning the use of biotech corn in tortillas or dough, and the instruction to Mexican government agencies to gradually substitute the use of biotech corn in all products for human consumption and for animal feed.
The Bureau of Industry & Security published an advisory opinion on the release of licensed technology to employees of the foreign subsidiary while on temporary work assignment at the home office. No additional deemed export license is required for these employees, while any new “technology” or “software” that is either “released” to those employees in the United States or created in the United States that is not authorized by the existing BIS license would require a new export license or other authorization from BIS.
A World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement panel has ruled that China acted inconsistently with its WTO obligations by imposing additional duties on specific imports from the United States (US). These duties were in response to the Section 232 duties that the US adopted in 2018 for steel and aluminum products. "China’s use of the WTO dispute settlement system to challenge the U.S. Section 232 national security actions has caused grave systemic damage to the WTO, said Sam Michael of the US Trade Representative's Office.
Arizona-based First Solar released findings from a third party audit of their Malaysia facility, highlighting unethical practices involving foreign migrant workers. The report details the actions taken by First Solar to address the issues, emphasizing the company's commitment to transparency and responsible solar energy development.
President Biden signed into law a measure implementing the initial deal negotiated under the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade First Agreement, even while raising concerns about the constitutionality of the law. The President cautioned Congress that he does not intend to follow all of the requirements of the new law relating to the sharing of negotiating texts.
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
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.
House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08) led a bipartisan delegation of House members to Seoul, South Korea where they participated in bilateral meetings held by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and other prominent Korean government officials focused on U.S.-Korea economic relations. The twenty-person delegation visited Korea on the first leg of its trip to four East Asian countries. In Cambodia Pan Sorasak, Minister of Commerce, met on August 2 with the lawmakers.
The Department of the Treasury, as Chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), released its Annual Report to Congress for calendar year 2022. The Committee’s workload remained high with a record number of filed transactions based on the expanded jurisdiction provided by the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA), mandatory filings in certain instances, and more sophisticated processes for identifying non-notified transactions.
By an overwhelming vote of 91 to 6 the Senate approved an amendment to the defense reauthorization bill that for the first time would impose notification requirements on US cutting edge technology outbound investments to China and other “countries of concern.” The notification requirement would apply to artificial intelligence, quantum industries, advanced semiconductors and micro-electronics, hypersonics, satellite-based communications and networked laser scanning systems with dual-use applications.
The Administration is not operating on a timetable for releasing highly-anticipated new export control rules on cutting-edge technology, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Wednesday. The focus instead is on getting the final rules right, so that US national security is protected but companies are not prevented from selling readily-available technology, she said at a program sponsored by the American Enterprise Institute.
OFAC has released the first episode of its “Introduction to OFAC” web series, a series of short videos created to provide viewers with a high-level introduction on the fundamentals of OFAC and sanctions implementation. The first episode introduces viewers to OFAC and its place within the U.S. government, as well as its history, mission, and relationship with the public.
A bipartisian group of lawmakers Tuesday introduced the Inter-American Development Bank Transparency Act. which would require the Treasury Department to inform Congress of PRC influence at the …
Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., requested in a new letter that Lear Co., the nation’s largest car seat manufacturer, explain how it oversees leather supply chains in Brazil to prevent the illegal importation of goods made with forced labor or deforestation. The letter comes as part of Wyden’s ongoing inquiry into forced labor in auto supply chains. Wyden has written to major automakers and their tier 1 suppliers regarding evidence of parts made with forced labor in Xinjiang, China, as part of his investigation into the effectiveness of customs enforcement regarding forced labor. In June, he held a Finance Committee hearing investigating how cattle supply chains contribute to Amazon deforestation.
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) ihas been in place for 23 years, enacted in dureing the George W Bush Administration and since renewed to 2025. Monday, the USTR held the …
Developing countries such as India, South Africa, Türkiye, Argentina and Indonesia among others are pushing back against attempts by a group of countries, including the European Union and Australia, and supported by the United States, insisting that electronic transmissions “covers anything transmitted by telecommunications” and also include “content” through the internet under the World Trade Organization’s e-commerce moratorium, our correspondent writes.
