26-0611: Thursday's "Export/Import Daily Bugle"

1. Commerce/Census Amends FTR to Correct Prior Amendment

(Source: 91 FR 35383, 11 Jun 2026)

[Editor's Note: A new edition of Bartlett's Annotated Foreign Trade Regulations of 11 June 2026 contains this amendment.]

2. Future Federal Register (No items of interest)

(Source: Future Federal Register)

3. CBP Cargo Systems Messages

(Source: DHS/CBP/CSMS)

4. CBP 17 June 2026 Webinar: "How to Set Up and Manage an ACE Portal Account"

(Source: OTR Webinars, [email protected])

5. Commerce/BIS (Nothing new)

(Source: Commerce/BIS)

6. DoD/DCSA Announcements (Nothing new)

(Source: Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency)

7. DoD/DSCA (Nothing new)

(Source: Defense Security Cooperation Agency)

8. OMB/OIRA BIS and DDTC Reviews (Nothing new)

(Source: OMB Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs)

9. State/DDTC (Nothing new)

(Source: State/DDTC)

10. Treasury/OFAC Updates Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) and Blocked Persons List; Issues Venezuela-related General Licenses and FAQs

(Source: Treasury/OFAC, 10 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued:

OFAC has also issued two Venezuela-related Frequently Asked Questions, FAQs 1259 and 1260.

OFAC has also updated the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List. Please visit this page to access the latest version of the SDN list. Check this page periodically as it may also be updated if a new list-related format or product is offered. Visit this link for more information on today's update.

11. UK Export Control Joint Unit (No relevant items)

(Source: UK ECJU) [Excerpts]

12. US Trade Representative (No new items.)

(Source: USTR Press Office)

13. White House Executive Actions (No relevant items.)

(Source: The White House)

14. ECD: "OFAC: US Law Doesn't Need to Govern 'All Aspects' of Contracts Under Venezuela Licenses"

(Source: Export Compliance Daily, 11 Jun 2026) [Excerpts of subscription site.]

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week updated seven Venezuela-related general licenses, including by revising language that governs how contracts executed under those licenses are governed.

A new FAQ issued by OFAC clarifies that the licensing terms that say contracts must be construed and interpreted in accordance with U.S. law don't necessarily mean that U.S. law must govern "all aspects of the underlying activity." . . .

The agency also said the licenses say that dispute resolution proceedings can occur in the U.K., France or Singapore in addition to the U.S. "If the parties agree to submit their dispute to arbitration, the procedural rules applicable are those rules agreed by the parties, or the rules of internationally recognized institutions or the rules of the seat of arbitration." The general licenses that OFAC updated include 46C, 47A, 48B, 50B, 51B, 52A and 54A. . . .

15. Expeditors News: "OFAC Publishes an Introductory Guide to the Agency"

(Source: Expeditors News, 11 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]

The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) recently announced the publication of the "Introduction to the Office of Foreign Assets Control" guide.

This guide is designed to "provide U.S and foreign persons a foundational understanding of how OFAC sanctions work and how to comply with them, including how to request a license from OFAC, how persons may be removed from an OFAC sanctions list, and how OFAC enforces its sanctions."

The "Introduction to the Office of Foreign Assets Control" guide can be found HERE.

16. Japan News: "Government Planning New Defense Export Support Body"

(Source: Japan News, 11 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]

The Japanese government has begun preparations to establish a new organization to support the nation's defense industry through measures including the promotion of defense equipment exports. The new entity will likely take the form of an independent administrative agency whose activities will involve public-private partnerships and cross-ministry cooperation.

The government is also considering introducing a Japanese version of the U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, in which the state would act on companies' behalf as a contact point for exports and support post-export operations such as maintenance and training in client countries. It would also provide funding to start-ups, seek to nationalize production lines and quickly upgrade industrial infrastructure to make it capable of coping with emergency conditions.

The government will lay out the goals of the new organization in the National Security Strategy and two other security documents to be revised within this year, and it aims to enact relevant legislation next year. Russia's aggression in Ukraine has demonstrated the importance of acquiring combat sustainability, making it vital to reinforce the defense industry. . . .

17. ST&R Trade Report: "U.S. Modifies Section 232 Tariffs on Products of Taiwan"

(Source: Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg Trade Report, 11 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]. Contact: [email protected], 1-305-894-1035

The Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative have issued a notice implementing tariff-related elements of a memorandum of understanding concluded earlier this year between the U.S. and Taiwan. This notice does not implement the terms of a subsequent bilateral agreement on reciprocal trade, which has not yet entered into force.

Effective with respect to goods entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption on or after 12:01 a.m. EDT on May 1, 2026, this notice updated the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the U.S. to establish the following caps on Section 232 tariff rates on products of Taiwan:

18. Straits Times: "Taiwan Eyes Curbs on AI Chip Sales to China to Align with US"

(Source: Straits Times, 10 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]

TAIPEI – The Taiwanese authorities are considering much stricter export controls on AI chip sales to China to further align with US measures, according to people familiar with the matter, an effort to address semiconductor smuggling that risks drawing a rebuke from Beijing.

The idea is to give the authorities more legal tools to address diversion of advanced hardware, like AI servers with Nvidia Corp chips, from Taiwan to China.

Such sales are already banned under US regulations unless companies get Washington's permission, per curbs the US first imposed in 2022 to prevent Beijing from using advanced Nvidia processors to gain a military edge. Taiwan, however, does not consider unauthorized AI chip exports to China to be a crime.

While the Taiwanese authorities warn potential sellers that they may be breaking US rules should they proceed, the only legal recourse through the island's courts is to charge suspected smugglers with violations of other, existing local laws. This can be a harder bar to meet, narrowing the scope of cases Taiwan can currently pursue. . . . [Full article]

19. Baker/McKenzie: "US Continues to Expand Cuba Sanctions: New SDN Designations and Secondary Sanctions Guidance"

(Source: Global Sanctions and Export Controls Blog, 10 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]

On June 4, 2026, the US Department of State announced a new round of designations under Executive Order 14404 (“EO 14404”) targeting five entities and five individuals for being “associated with developing, implementing, and funding the Cuban regime's violent revolutionary network.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a press statement explaining the purpose of these designations. Concurrent with these designations, the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) issued a new Cuba-related Frequently Asked Question (“FAQ”).

The FAQ clarifies that non-US parties risk exposure to US secondary sanctions for transacting with entities not identified on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (“SDN List”) but owned by Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. (“GAESA”), the Cuban Ministry of the Interior (“MININT”), or the Cuban Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (“MINFAR”), including their subsidiaries identified on the Cuba Restricted List (“CRL”). This new guidance from OFAC expands the scope of Cuban parties that may trigger US secondary sanctions risks. . . . [Full article]

20. Hogan Lovells: "No time to waste IV – Guidance on EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation"

(Source: Hogan Lovells Engage, 11 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]

With only two months to go until the first set of obligations under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (PPWR) starts to apply on 12 August 2026, several aspects of practical implementation still remain to be clarified.

With its recent Guidance Document on the PPWR and Frequently Asked Questions document (FAQ), the European Commission has now provided some long-awaited clarification on a number of questions. . . .

This update provides an overview of key aspects in the Guidance document and the FAQ regarding key definitions, material design requirements, labelling requirements, conformity assessment procedures and extended producer responsibility obligations.

Background. The PPWR entered into force on 11 February 2025, and the first key obligations will start to apply from 12 August 2026, with a number of substantive obligations subject to later application dates and/or future delegated and implementing measures that shall specify individual obligations in more detail. . . . [Full article]

21. Torres: "CMMC Assessments and the Hidden Risk of ITAR Violations"

(Source: Torres Insights, 28 May 2026) [Excerpts]

For many contractors within the Defense Industrial Base, Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) assessments are becoming far more than cybersecurity hygiene exercises.

As companies strive to become CMMC compliant, they are increasingly uncovering facts suggesting potential violations of export control laws, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), administered by the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls under the U.S. Department of State, and the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), administered by the Bureau of Industry and Security under the U.S. Department of Commerce.

CMMC assessments require organizations to identify where Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) resides, who can access it, how it moves through the organization, and whether third parties or cloud providers may have visibility into sensitive information.

For companies handling ITAR technical data, these discoveries can create significant legal exposure extending well beyond cybersecurity compliance concerns. A company may successfully implement many NIST SP 800-171 controls, as required by the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), and still face substantial liability under the ITAR, or EAR, if controlled technical data or technology has been exported or accessed without authorization.

[Full article]

22. Volkov: "Are You Selling Compliance Wrong to Your Leadership Team?"

(Source: Volkov Law, 11 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]

Compliance isn’t a cost, it’s a business advantage. Compliance officers often make one critical mistake, they sell compliance as a legal requirement instead of a business advantage. Executive support grows when compliance leaders connect ethics to operational resilience, revenue protection, and enhancement, reputation, employee retention, and strategic growth.

Successful compliance leaders use data, demonstrate value, communicate clearly, and align with business priorities.

Employees then support the program when they see fairness, consistency, responsiveness, and leadership commitment.

The best compliance programs are not built through fear, they are built through credibility. Ethics and compliance succeeds when leadership sees it as essential to business performance, not separate from it. [Listen podcast of this topic HERE.]

23. Washington Tariff & Trade: "USCBC: China Still Critical for U.S. Multinationals Despite Tariffs, Controls"

(Source: Washington Tariff & Trade Newsletter, 8 Jun 2026) [Excerpts of paywall publication.]

China remains critical to the global competitiveness of large U.S. multinationals even as tariffs, export controls, industrial policy and domestic Chinese competition weigh on their operations, the U.S.-China Business Council said in its 2026 member survey.

The survey, based on 175 responses from companies in the United States and China, found that 95% of respondents consider China operations somewhat to very important to their global competitiveness.

USCBC said companies cite China’s scale, manufacturing ecosystem, innovation networks and increasingly sophisticated domestic competitors as reasons they need a presence in the market. Almost half said lessons learned in China can be applied in other markets. . . .

Export controls also are cutting into sales. Nearly half of respondents said they were affected by U.S. export controls and sanctions, with 61% of those companies reporting lost sales to Chinese competitors and 47% reporting lost sales to international competitors. USCBC said the controls risk ceding market share when foreign or Chinese suppliers can replace restricted U.S. products.  . . .

USCBC President Sean Stein said the results should be “a wake-up call” for policymakers in both countries as they set agendas for the Board of Trade and Board of Investment, adding that talks should address tariffs as well as structural issues in China’s economy and industrial policy. . . .

24. Holland & Knight Presents: "IEEPA Tariff Refund Litigation: What's Next After the Government's Appeal?"

(Source: H&K Insights)

25. ACI Presents: ACI's "EAR Compliance & Licensing Masterclass + ITAR Week" (Virtual Series, 13 - 31 July)

(Source: Shannon Kao, ACI)

26. List of Export/Import Job Openings

(Source: Editor)

RECENT:

FULL LIST:

27. Bartlett's Unfamiliar Quotations

(Source: Brainy Quotes)

Ben Jonson (Benjamin Jonson; 11 Jun 1572 – 16 Aug 1637; was an English playwright and poet, whose artistry exerted a lasting impact upon English poetry and stage comedy. He is generally regarded as the second most important English dramatist, after William Shakespeare, during the reign of James I.)

"Language most shows a man, speak that I may see thee."

"He knows not his own strength that has not met adversity."

"There is no greater hell than to be a prisoner of fear."

"Talking is the disease of age."

Vince Lombardi (Vincent Thomas Lombardi; 11 Jun 1913 – 3 Sep 1970; was an American professional football coach and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Lombardi is considered by many to be among the greatest coaches and leaders in American sports, best known as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s, where he led the team to three straight and five total NFL Championships in seven years, in addition to winning the first two Super Bowls.)

"Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence."

"Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect."

"Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser."

"Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing."

"It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up."

28. Today in History

(Source: History Channel)

29. Do You Need to Update Your Daily Bugle Profile?

(Source: Editor)

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30. Are Your Copies of Export/Import Regulations Current?

(Source: Editor)

The official versions of the following regulations are published annually in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) but are updated as amended in the Federal Register. The latest amendments are listed below.