President Trump signed into law the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (“FIRRMA”) on August 13, 2018. FIRRMA made several substantial changes to the CFIUS process and expanded the scope of the...more
9/22/2020
/ Amended Regulation ,
CFIUS ,
Covered Transactions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Exports ,
Final Rules ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
Mandatory Declarations ,
NAICS ,
Non-US Entities ,
Technology Sector ,
Trump Administration
The U.S.-China trade war continues to escalate, most recently fueled by U.S. concerns over China’s assertion of increasing authority over Hong Kong. The U.S. and Chinese governments have exchanged jabs through the use of...more
7/17/2020
/ CFIUS ,
China ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Exceptions ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Free Speech ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Freedom of the Press ,
Hong Kong ,
Hong Kong Autonomy Act (HKAA) ,
Human Rights ,
Open General Export Licences (OGELs) ,
Popular ,
Revocation ,
Right to Peaceful Assembly ,
SDN List ,
Section 301 ,
Tariffs ,
Technology Sector ,
Trade Act of 1974 ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Wars ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
United States
President Trump signed into law the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (“FIRRMA”) on August 13, 2018, which made several substantial changes to the CFIUS process and expanded the scope of the Committee’s...more
5/28/2020
/ CFIUS ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
ITAR ,
Mandatory Declarations ,
NAICS ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Substantial Interest Test ,
Technology Sector ,
Trump Administration
On February 1, 2019, the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) issued guidance in the form of Frequently Asked Questions (“FAQs”) relating to sanctions imposed on January 28, 2019 against...more
2/4/2019
/ Blocked Person ,
Bonds ,
Derivatives ,
Due Diligence ,
Economic Sanctions ,
General Licenses ,
Non U.S. Person ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
SDN List ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Venezuela ,
Winding Down
On January 28, 2019, the United States imposed blocking sanctions on Petróleos de Venezuela SA (“PdVSA”), the Venezuelan state-owned oil company. The measures follow President Trump’s recent decision to recognize Juan Guaidó,...more
1/31/2019
/ Blocked Person ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
Financial Institutions ,
Foreign Investment ,
Imports ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Presidential Elections ,
SDN List ,
Trump Administration ,
Venezuela ,
Winding Down
The U.S. Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) published two sets of interim rules on October 10, 2018, implementing certain provisions of the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (“FIRRMA”). In addition to...more
10/16/2018
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
CFIUS ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Federal Pilot Programs ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
Interim Rule ,
ITAR ,
Mandatory Declarations ,
National Security ,
Non-Controlling Interests ,
Petrochemicals ,
Technology Sector ,
Trump Administration
President Trump signed into law the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (FIRRMA) on August 13, 2018, which was included as part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). FIRRMA...more
9/28/2018
/ CFIUS ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Declaration ,
Exemptions ,
Filing Fees ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Investment ,
Investors ,
Judicial Review ,
Jurisdiction ,
National Security ,
NDAA ,
Personal Data ,
Private Equity ,
Private Equity Funds ,
Real Estate Investments ,
Technology Sector ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury
After conferees from the U.S. House of Representatives (House) and U.S. Senate (Senate) reached agreement on the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA), the House on Thursday, June 26, 2018, passed...more
8/1/2018
/ CFIUS ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Export Controls ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
Investment Funds ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
National Security Review Proceedings ,
Private Equity ,
Real Estate Investments ,
Trump Administration
International sanctions are a major compliance challenge for companies worldwide. The regulatory risks associated with economic sanctions, asset-freezing measures and trade embargoes are not new, but they continue to grow in...more
7/19/2018
/ Blocking Statutes ,
Bonds ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Debt Buyers ,
Debt-Equity ,
Defense Sector ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
Financial Markets ,
General Licenses ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Popular ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
Secondary Sanctions ,
Syria ,
Trump Administration ,
Ukraine ,
Venezuela
The U.S. House of Representatives (the House) on June 26, 2018, passed legislation designed to reform and strengthen the authority of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS or the Committee), the...more
6/28/2018
/ Acquisitions ,
CFIUS ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Export Controls ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
Manufacturers ,
National Security ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Trump Administration
While the rules regarding CFIUS review have remained largely unchanged over the past decade, CFIUS has operated under a new paradigm in recent years. After the U.S. government blocked just two transactions from its inception...more
6/21/2018
/ CFIUS ,
China ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Covered Transactions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Disparate Treatment ,
Export Controls ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
National Security ,
NDAA ,
Passive Investments ,
Pending Legislation ,
Real Estate Investments ,
Rollbacks ,
Sanctions ,
Telecommunications ,
Transfer of Control ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
ZTE
The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced 25% tariffs on Chinese goods on June 15, targeting industrial goods that amount to roughly US$34 billion in annual exports to the United States, with a review underway for an...more
6/18/2018
/ Aluminum Sales ,
Canada ,
China ,
Classifications of Goods ,
Country of Origin ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
EU ,
Exports ,
Imports ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Mexico ,
Risk Management ,
Section 301 ,
Steel Industry ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Act of 1974 ,
Trade Expansion Act of 1962 ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
USTR ,
Valuation
As the United States Congress debates new legislation to strengthen reviews of cross-border transactions for potential national security concerns, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS or the...more
5/15/2018
/ Acquisitions ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
National Security Review Proceedings ,
Non-US Entities ,
Passive Activity ,
Popular ,
Private Equity ,
Technology Sector ,
Trump Administration
President Trump announced today, May 8, 2018, that the United States would withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (“JCPOA”), the Iran nuclear deal implemented in January 2016. In connection with the...more
After a summer of discussion surrounding the U.S. government’s ability to control Chinese investment in U.S. companies, members of the House and Senate have introduced new legislation that seeks to improve the government’s...more
12/19/2017
/ CFIUS ,
China ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
Joint Venture ,
Jurisdiction ,
Legislative Agendas ,
National Security ,
Popular ,
Semiconductors ,
Trump Administration
The U.S. Government this week announced changes to U.S. sanctions against Cuba to implement various policy changes announced by President Trump in July 2017 (for additional background, see our prior OnPoint from June 2017)....more
11/10/2017
/ Cuba ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Financial Transactions ,
Foreign Policy ,
Government Officials ,
International Travel ,
Open General Export Licences (OGELs) ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Trump Administration
The United States announced new sanctions against the Venezuelan Government on August 25, 2017 that target the government’s ability to access U.S. debt and equity markets. The measures are intended to pressure Venezuelan...more
8/30/2017
/ Debt Instruments ,
Debt-Equity ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Exports ,
General Licenses ,
Human Rights ,
Imports ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List ,
SSI List ,
Trump Administration ,
Venezuela
Yesterday, President Trump signed H.R. 3364, the “Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act,” enacting into law limited additional sanctions against Russia and, critically, restricting his ability to suspend or...more
After weeks of discussion and procedural uncertainty, the U.S. House of Representatives passed new legislation by a vote of 419–3 that, if enacted into law, will strengthen existing sanctions against Russia and also impose...more
7/29/2017
/ Congressional Authority ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
Foreign Relations ,
Hackers ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
North Korea ,
Pending Legislation ,
Russia ,
SSI List ,
Trump Administration
President Trump announced just before the weekend that he will reinstate certain travel and commercial restrictions related to Cuba that had been eased under the Obama Administration. While President Trump declared that he...more
President Obama issued an executive order on December 2, 2016 blocking the sale of the U.S. business of Aixtron SE (“Aixtron”), a German semiconductor manufacturer, to a German subsidiary of a Chinese fund, Fujian Grand Chip...more
12/14/2016
/ Barack Obama ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Subsidiaries ,
Germany ,
National Security ,
Popular ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Trade Policy ,
Trump Administration