President Barack Obama issued an executive order Nov. 22 to sanction individuals contributing to unrest in Burundi, the White House said (here). The order blocks the U.S. property and interests of the sanctioned individuals, along with property and interests that come into the U.S. The order also prohibits other dealings with the sanctioned individuals. "The order is not targeted at the people of Burundi, but rather is aimed at activities by the government and armed groups that contribute to the turmoil there," said the White House (here). The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control added the individuals to the Specially Designated Nationals List (here).
The U.S. and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed to a new strategic partnership, said the White House in a Nov. 21 news release (here). The new partnership marks an elevation in the official relationship between ASEAN and the U.S., said the White House (here). The partnership will be driven by a new ASEAN-U.S. Plan of Action 2016-2020, "which identified priorities and measures to be carried out by both sides to further enhance political-security, economic and sociocultural cooperation and realise the full potential of the ASEAN-United States partnership," said ASEAN (here). Among other things, ASEAN "welcomed the major progress of the ASEAN Single Window, which the United States has provided technical and financial support to since 2007." President Barack Obama, who lead the U.S. delegation to the U.S-ASEAN summit in Malaysia, discussed the U.S. relationship with ASEAN and various components of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, including intellectual property and political considerations, during a press conference (here).
President Barack Obama took executive action on Nov. 12 to remove national emergency status for Liberia, lifting the sanctions on the country drawn from the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Former President George W. Bush issued, also by decree, the imposition of the national emergency in 2004 (here). The national emergency declaration blocked property tied to former Liberian leader Charles Taylor and barred imports of round logs and timber from the country, among other measures. Obama last renewed the national emergency in July (here).
The administration will suspend African Growth and Opportunity Act benefits for South African agriculture on Jan. 4, President Barack Obama said in a notice to Congress on Nov. 5. “South Africa continues to impose several longstanding barriers to U.S. trade, including barriers affecting certain U.S. agricultural exports,” said Obama in the memo. “South Africa is not making continual progress toward the elimination of barriers to United States trade and investment as required by section 104 of AGOA.” The AGOA law requires a 60-day notice before the removal of benefits. The U.S. has for months pressed South Africa to remove trade remedies and sanitary and phytosanitary barriers (see 1509140023). The administration opted to go with the suspension over full AGOA removal in order to encourage South African reform, said Obama. “Although South Africa has to date failed to meet critical benchmarks required to address these issues, it continues to express an interest in resolving U.S. concerns,” he said.
President Barack Obama signed the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing Enforcement Act into law on Nov. 5, the White House said. The legislation passed by expedited measures in both chambers. The Senate passed the bill in late October, while the House approved it in July. “The United States will now join a global effort to ratify and implement the Port State Measures Agreement, which will prevent vessels carrying fish caught illegally from entering our ports, keep illegal product out of the market and demonstrate our continued leadership in the global fight against IUU fishing,” said the White House. “Twenty five countries are needed for the treaty to enter into force. We are more than halfway there and the U.S. will continue to work closely with our partners around the world to finalize this important treaty. These measures will benefit U.S. fishermen, seafood buyers, and consumers by protecting our domestic fishermen from unfair, illegal competition and ensure consumer confidence in the seafood supply.”
The Obama administration is still “ticking and tying” the legal text for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but the text could surface “within the next week,” said Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker on a Nov. 4 conference call. TPP parties locked down a deal on Oct. 5, and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman later pledged to release the text by the timeframe Pritzker outlined (see 1510130021). Unions and TPP critics have bashed the delay, saying it gives the administration a leg up in promoting the pact (see 1510290074).
President Barack Obama terminated the beneficiary status of Burundi in the African Growth and Opportunity Act, the White House said in an Oct. 30 notification to Congress. That termination will take effect on Jan. 1, 2016. “Burundi has not established or is not making continual progress toward establishing the rule of law and political pluralism, as required by the AGOA eligibility,” said Obama in the notice. “In particular, the continuing crackdown on opposition members, which has included assassinations, extra-judicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and torture, have worsened significantly during the election campaign that returned President Nkurunziza to power earlier this year.” Violence has rocked Burundi over recent months, sparked by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s announcement in April that he would run for a third term in office. The government has cracked down on political opposition and armed militia groups, Obama said. The unrest has caused 200,000 Burundians to flee the country, the notice said.
The U.S. and Pakistan launched a joint action plan on Oct. 22 to boost trade and investment ties. The announcement of the plan coincides with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif’s visit to the White House on the same day.
President Barack Obama authorized Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson on Oct. 20 to draft and submit to Congress an annual report on the International Trade Data System (ITDS). Obama directed Johnson to publish that authorization in the Federal Register, the White House said in a statement (here). The most recent version of the annual report covered fiscal year 2013 (see 14012923).
President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister-Designate Justin Trudeau affirmed on Oct. 20 a joint commitment to move forward with implementation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the White House said in a statement that followed a call between the two officials. The Canadian Liberal party scored a decisive victory in a nationwide election in recent days, ousting outgoing Prime Minister Stephan Harper and sending Liberal leader Trudeau to the premiership. Some trade experts expected the Canadian election to hamper progress on the TPP (see 1508050036), but the 12 members still wrapped up negotiations in early October (see 1510050020).