On September 14, 2016, President Obama announced his intention to terminate U.S. sanctions targeting Myanmar, also known as Burma (“Myanmar”), completing the process of relaxing U.S. sanctions against Myanmar that began in July 2012. In a joint statement issued by the United States and Myanmar, President Barack Obama and State Chancellor Daw Aung Sun Suu Kyi announced the U.S.-Myanmar Partnership, which will ultimately allow for deepened economic ties across a range of sectors between the…
On September 14, 2016, the President sent a Message to Congress indicating his intent to end the suspension of preferential treatment for Burma as a beneficiary developing country under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program, and to designate Burma as a least-developed beneficiary developing country for purposes of the GSP program.
On August 23, 2016, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published in the Federal Register a final rule [Docket No. USCBP-2016-0054; CBP Dec. 16-12] that amends CBP regulations to update the provisions relating to the prohibition on importation of jadeite or rubies mined or extracted from Burma, and articles of jewelry containing jadeite or rubies mined or extracted from Burma, following the expiration of the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 (BFDA), as amended by the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE (Junta’s Anti-Democratic Efforts) Act of 2008. The CBP regulations are amended to reflect the import prohibitions set forth in Executive Order 13651 of August 6, 2013.
On May 18, 2016, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) published in the Federal Register a final rule amending the Burmese Sanctions Regulations (31 C.F.R. Part 537) to add a general license authorizing certain transactions related to U.S. persons residing in Burma. OFAC is also incorporating a general license authorizing certain transactions incident to exports to and from Burma that has, until now, appeared only on OFAC’s website on the Burma sanctions page, and…
On May 18, 2016, the Federal Register published Presidential Notice of May __ 2016 – Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Burma which continues the national emergency first declared in Executive Order (E.O.) 13047 of May 20, 1997. Because the actions and policies of the Government of Burma continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, the national emergency declared on May…
On April 20, 2016, the Department of State published in the Federal Register a document [Public Notice: 9527] setting forth the Secretary of State’s designation of “countries of particular concern” for religious freedom violations pursuant to Section 408(a) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-292), as amended (the Act). The Secretary has designated each of the following as a “country of particular concern” under the Act, for having engaged in or…
On April 20, 2016, the Department of State published in the Federal Register a document [Public Notice: 9527] setting forth the Secretary of State’s designation of “countries of particular concern” for religious freedom violations pursuant to Section 408(a) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-292), as amended (the Act). The Secretary has designated each of the following as a “country of particular concern” under the Act, for having engaged in…
On December 21, 2015, President Obama signed Presidential Proclamation — African Growth and Opportunity Act which: • terminated the designation of Burundi as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country for purposes of section 506A of the 1974 Act, effective on January 1, 2016; • added additional tariff lines to Chapter 99 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) of the United States to reduce administrative burden and encourage electronic administration of the quota classifications of sugars, syrups, and molasses…
On December 7, 2015, the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued a six-month general license (General License 20) to allow certain transactions otherwise prohibited by the Burmese Sanctions Regulations (BSR) that are incidental to permissible exports to or from Burma. OFAC’s statement on the issuance of General License 20, which was issued to support U.S. and Burmese exporters and to facilitate trade with Burma, is available here. General License 20 authorizes all…
On November 21, 2015, the President’s Press Secretary released a Joint Statement on the ASEAN-U.S. Strategic Partnership. At the 3rd ASEAN-U.S. Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United States elevated their relationship to the ASEAN-U.S. Strategic Partnership to strengthen the role their relationship plays in realizing a common vision of a peaceful, prosperous Asia-Pacific region that offers security, opportunity and dignity to all its…