Last Week: GOP To Review Export Controls Enforcement, Citing China Concerns House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) Chair Michael McCaul (R-TX) asked U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo for documents on the implementation of certain export controls. “The United States needs a whole-of-government approach to protect sensitive and military-useful technology from foreign adversaries, such as the People’s … Continue Reading
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING: A New Standard of “Influence?” Last week, the House of Representatives passed the Protecting America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act (H.R. 22), which would prohibit the Department of Energy (DOE) from selling petroleum products from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to any entity that is “under the ownership, control, or influence … Continue Reading
118th Congress Begins with Focus on China. Last weekend, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was elected Speaker of the House. In his first speech, McCarthy said Republicans will “address America’s long-term challenges: the debt, and the rise of the Chinese Communist Party.”… Continue Reading
This week Republicans filed a flurry of bills focused on China. While they may be seeking to push these proposals as policy riders in the omnibus government spending package, more likely they reflect continuing interest by congressional Republicans to legislate on US-China policy and relations at least as aggressively in the 118th Congress as they … Continue Reading
House Passes Compromise Defense Spending Bill, Reflects China Focus The House voted 350-80 to pass the compromise defense authorization bill on Thursday. The 4,000-plus page package would authorize $857.9 billion in fiscal 2023 defense spending, $45 billion more than requested by the White House. The Senate is expected to consider the legislation next week. Why … Continue Reading
Under an interim rule published in the Federal Register on Friday, September 9, 2022, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry & Security (BIS) is loosening restrictions on the sharing of specific technology with blacklisted firms, to maintain the United States’ lead in setting international standards. Under that rule, no license will be required to export certain … Continue Reading
Note: Our next report will circulate in September, after the summer break. Amid the global food crisis, the Russian Federation (Russia) and Ukraine reached an agreement that was signed in Turkey to allow Ukraine’s grains to ship to global markets; Ukraine awaits sign from the United Nations (UN) that ship passage is guaranteed for the … Continue Reading
The past two weeks saw the conclusion of the Group of Seven (G7) Leaders and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summits in Germany and Spain, respectively. The G7 Leaders’ issued a Communique affirming continued solidarity with Ukraine. Aligning with the G7, the United States (US) started its domestic process to impose tariffs on a number … Continue Reading
With the mid-term elections approaching (November) in the United States (US), the White House and those Members of Congress up for re-election (the full House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate) continue to focus domestic matters of concern for American voters – namely the US economy, high gas prices, and an inflation rate that … Continue Reading
The United Kingdom (UK) celebrated Her Majesty The Queen on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years of her reign. The United States (US) hosted the Summit of the Americas, unveiling another economic framework initiative, with this one focused on countries in the Western Hemisphere. In the European Union (EU), the European Parliament … Continue Reading
At the end of the month, the European Union (EU) finally reached a deal – after weeks of negotiations – on an oil ban against Russian sourced oil and petroleum products. In mid-May, the United States (US) and EU concluded their second US-EU Trade and Technology Council ministerial meeting. Meanwhile, absent a free trade agreement … Continue Reading
The United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) continued to impose sanctions against Russia over the first two weeks of May, while the European Union (EU) continued its debate over another sanctions package. The US Congress also continues to debate a new $40 billion assistance package for Ukraine. The UK introduced legislation that would bring … Continue Reading
On December 23, 2021, President Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) into law. The Act creates a rebuttable presumption that “any goods, wares, articles, and merchandise mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China” (or by an entity included on … Continue Reading
After multiple top European officials’ visits to Kyiv, the United States (US) Government dispatched two Cabinet-level officials to Ukraine, marking the return of American officials to the country and a re-opening of the US Embassy, since the conflict with Russia started in late February. The United Kingdom (UK) also announced its Embassy was re-opening in … Continue Reading
For the first time, the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) will make its existing financing programs available to export-oriented domestic manufacturing facilities and infrastructure projects. The Make More in America Initiative was unanimously approved by the EXIM Board of Directors in April 2022, and had support from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), … Continue Reading
The United States (US) Congress moved to isolate further Russia and Belarus these past two week, as the US Government also increased bilateral pressure with the imposition of additional sanctions and restrictions. The United Kingdom (UK) Government also moved in concert these past two weeks with the US and European Union (EU) in ratcheting up … Continue Reading
The United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) continued to ratchet up additional pressure on Russia this week, while the European Union (EU) and UK appear to have different opinions on how best to continue to coordinate the pressure campaign against Russia. The UK and US aligned this week with high-level visits to India, part … Continue Reading
While the President of the United States (US), Joe Biden, appears to be willing to increase rhetoric against the President of the Russian Federation (Russia), other Western allies are less willing to join in increasing tension with Russia on this front. By Sunday, the US Secretary of State appeared to downplay President Biden’s Friday remarks … Continue Reading
Moderated by Stephen Lerner and hosted by the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), a multidisciplinary team from our firm engaged in a wide-ranging discussion about the crisis in Ukraine. Topics included geopolitics, the global economy, sanctions and trade compliance, supply chains, the legal response from Moscow, and other business critical issues. Watch the webinar recording here.… Continue Reading
More countries joined the United States (US) this past week in calling for Russia’s “most-favored nation” status to be revoked at the World Trade Organization (WTO). The European Union (EU) approved a fourth tranche of sanctions against Russia, as the bloc prepares yet another potential round of sanctions. Furthermore, the United Kingdom (UK) designated an … Continue Reading
Transatlantic partners continue to ratchet pressure this week on the Kremlin responsive to the Russian Federation’s continued conflict with Ukraine. The United States announced its immediate ban on Russian oil and gas exports (and seafood and alcohol products); the United Kingdom (UK) Government stated it would phase out Russian energy by the end of the … Continue Reading
With military troops from the Russian Federation and aligned forces moving further into Ukraine, efforts were attempted – but failed – to establish ceasefire agreements that would allow Ukrainian civilians to evacuate Mariupol and Volnovakha, cities that faced heavy fire from Russian forces this week. European countries and the United States (US) reacted negatively to … Continue Reading
In the early hours of 22 February, at the direction of the Kremlin, Russian Federation military forces crossed Ukraine’s borders from multiple fronts, beginning an assault that appears to be an effort to seize control of the country via the capital, Kyiv. Western allies – the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK) and European Union … Continue Reading
While Russian officials claimed early this week a withdrawal of some of its forces from Ukraine’s borders, the United States (US) quickly asserted it saw no such evidence, with one official stating intelligence reflected another 7,000 Russian troops have joined over 150,000 estimated troops already near Ukraine’s borders. US and European leaders continued to meet … Continue Reading
