On 30 November 2023, the Defence Trade Controls Amendment Bill 2023 (Bill) was introduced into the Australian federal parliament, proposing amendments to the Defence Trade Control Act 2012 (Cth) (DTC Act). The Bill has been sent to a Parliamentary Committee for review with the Committee’s report due in April 2024. Some proposed changes implement Australia’s commitments under the AUKUS agreement, by removing the need to obtain a permit for supply of most controlled items from…
On December 7, 2023, Chairman Michael McCaul of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives released a 90-Day Review Report (the “Report”) of the US Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”), the agency tasked with administering the Export Administration Regulations (15 C.F.R Parts 730–774, the “EAR”) under the US Commerce Department. Chairman McCaul previously highlighted his plans for greater oversight of BIS at an October 2022 Atlantic Council event during which he stated…
On December 22, 2023, President Biden signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA”) for Fiscal Year 2024 (P.L. 118-31). A must-pass piece of legislation that funds Department of Defense (“DoD”) operations on an annual basis, the NDAA is a frequent vehicle for trade-related provisions and legislative changes affecting DoD acquisition policies with direct implications for government contractors. The measure includes a number of provisions relating to US export controls, sanctions, and supply chain…
On 26 December 2023, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced new sanctions measures under the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law against the following parties for their involvement in the imposition of US restrictive measures on Chinese entities over their links to alleged human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region: The sanctioned parties are prohibited from entering China (including mainland and the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative regions). In addition, all properties (including movable and…