The US Department of State Re-Designates Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism

11 January, 2021
On January 11, the US Department of State (“State Department”) re-designated Cuba to the US State Sponsors of Terrorism List (“SST List”) for “repeatedly providing support for acts of international terrorism in granting safe harbor to terrorists.” Notably, the Trump administration announced the decision shortly before the inauguration of President-elect Biden. The decision to re-designate … Read more

NYSE Restores Decision to Delist Subsidiaries of “Communist Chinese Military Companies”

07 January, 2021
As noted in our previous posts in November and December 2020, the current US Administration has targeted certain alleged “Communist Chinese military companies” (CCMCs) via Executive Order (EO) 13959 (“Addressing the Threat from Securities Investments that Finance Communist Chinese Military Companies”) (EO 13959 or Order), dated November 12, 2020. EO 13959 prohibits US persons from engaging in … Read more

OFAC Sanctions Chinese Tech Company for Violating Venezuela Sanctions

04 December, 2020
On November 30, OFAC designated China National Electronics Import and Export Corporation (“CEIEC”) to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list (“SDN List”). The OFAC press release is available here. CEIEC is a Chinese state-owned technology corporation. According to its website, CEIEC claims that it is a “close partner of many foreign government[s], military … Read more

US Federal Agencies Continue the US “Maximum Pressure” Campaign

25 November, 2020
In series of coordinated actions and announcements during the course of October and November 2020 (the Recent Iran Actions), three US federal agencies—the US Department of State (DOS), the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury, and the US Department of Justice (DOJ)—targeted both Iranian and non-Iranian entities and … Read more

United States imposes new restrictions on securities of companies allegedly linked to the Chinese military

13 November, 2020
In a significant new Executive Order (“Addressing the Threat from Securities Investments that Finance Communist Chinese Military Companies”) (Order) issued on November 12, 2020, the current US Administration has prohibited “any transaction” in either the “publicly traded securities,” or “derivative[s]” of securities of companies determined to be “Communist Chinese military compan[ies]” by US authorities. Thirty-one … Read more