CBP and other export enforcement agencies are increasing detentions of shipments to China and Hong Kong due to a series of recently imposed export restrictions announced by the Trump administration, trade lawyer Doug Jacobson said. Jacobson said he has noticed a “dramatic increase” in detentions and seizures, and said he is spending “a lot of time” working with agencies to provide information on clients’ shipments.

A California electronics company was fined about $475,000 after its former Finnish subsidiary illegally exported test measurement equipment to Iran, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said Sept. 24. After Keysight Technologies acquired Anite Finland Oy in 2015, Anite continued to illegally supply equipment to Iranian end-users, hiding the transactions from Keysight, OFAC said. In a settlement agreement, Keysight agreed to implement improved compliance procedures and an annual audit of its compliance program for the next five years.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control announced new Cuba sanctions and restrictions to limit the use of certain licenses and prohibit a range of activities in Cuba. The sanctions include restrictions on lodging in Cuba, professional research and “public performances.” The changes, outlined in a final rule released Sept. 23, are effective Sept. 24.

China’s so-called unreliable entity list could present compliance challenges for multinational companies and may be used to retaliate against U.S. export controls and sanctions, trade lawyers said. As a result, companies trying to comply with both U.S. and Chinese regulations may have to choose one over the other, risking sanctions from at least one country, law firms said.

The Bureau of Industry and Security’s proposal to reduce the number of countries eligible for license exception Additional Permissive Reexports (APR) (see 2004270025) could damage U.S. competitiveness and lead to overly broad export restrictions, trade groups and industry said in comments released this month. If BIS follows through on the change, commenters suggested that it first limit the scope of the rule, which could potentially restrict more than 20 countries from receiving certain U.S. reexports that are controlled for national security reasons.

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China released regulations for its unreliable entity list that will target a “very small number of foreign entities” that violate Chinese laws. The regulations detail procedures for adding companies to the list but do not say when China will announce its first set of additions. “Foreign entities that are honest and law abiding do not need to worry,” China’s Commerce Ministry said Sept. 20, according to an unofficial translation.

The Bureau of Industry and Security added 47 entities and individuals to its Entity List for “acting contrary” to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. The additions include entities in Canada, China, Hong Kong, Iran, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Designations were for a range of illegal procurement activities, including sending nuclear-related items and other products to Iran. BIS will also correct four existing entries under China.

A lack of understanding of export controls in university settings is delaying or sometimes preventing research, the Association of University Export Control Officers said in a Sept. 17 letter to the Department of Defense. The group said the confusion is particularly a problem surrounding export restrictions on fundamental research: research that is widely published and shared within the scientific community.

The Commerce Department outlined its prohibitions for the parent companies of TikTok and WeChat, saying in notices released Sept. 18 that it will no longer allow transactions between U.S. parties and the Chinese companies or their subsidiaries. The prohibitions detail a range of blocked activities for both ByteDance Ltd. and Tencent Holdings, including bans on providing internet hosting services, content delivery services and transactions with the two companies. Certain prohibitions on the availability of TikTok in the U.S. took effect Sept. 20, and all prohibitions on WeChat are effective as of Sept. 20. Other restrictions on TikTok will take effect Nov. 12.