Export control rule changes in the US, China and UK you may have missed so far this year

For those working in the field of export control and licences, staying up-to-date with all the changing laws and regulators’ interpretations of them is essential.

Here are three important developments to have taken place already this year.

Flurry of activity from outgoing Trump administration

In the last few days of President Trump’s tenure in the White House, a number of important export control changes were enacted that export control professionals need to be aware of.

Changes include the removal of an export embargo against Sudan, the planned expansion of military intelligence end-use controls and new rules targeting Chinese tech and aviation companies.

Read the full article here.

China introduces new blocking law to combat US extraterritoriality

The Chinese government has enacted new “blocking” rules to counteract the extraterritorial application of certain foreign laws that it considers unjustifiable. The new rules are effective immediately.

Businesses potentially affected by the new  laws should check contractual conditions and compliance polices that were adopted in connection with US sanctions, export controls, or other laws that may have an extraterritorial element to them.

You can read the full article here.

Applying for a UK export licence?  You need to specify GB or NI

Because of the Northern Ireland Protocol, the rules that apply to controlled exports from the UK will now depend on whether the items are exported from or to locations in Great Britain or Northern Ireland.

If applying for an export licence, the Department for International Trade’s (DIT) Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) needs you to specify on your application form further information relating to:

  • the locations of items, third parties, “ultimate end users” and recipients (consignees or end-users)
  • whether the application is being submitted from Northern Ireland or Great Britain

You should include this information on SPIRE (the UK’s online export licensing system), via the ‘Supplementary Information’ section, and email this to your case officer. This will enable the ECJU to update your application on your behalf.

More information can be found here.