Singapore said it’s boosting enforcement against companies that may be using the country to circumvent foreign nations’ export controls on advanced chips, warning businesses that it may take legal action or impose other penalties.
Ross Kennedy, founder of advisory firm Fortis Analysis, has joined the Bureau of Industry and Security as a senior adviser, he announced this week on LinkedIn. Kennedy said his "primary focus will be on supporting exceptional agents, analysts, and colleagues in the Office of Export Enforcement, a law enforcement agency staffed by quiet, diligent, dedicated professionals and which sits at the nexus of national security and advanced technologies, data, and products."
The European Commission hasn't been officially informed by the Bureau of Industry and Security about the agency's plans to pull back from export control talks at the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council, a commission spokesperson said this week.
Multiple countries this week objected to President Donald Trump’s April 2 announcement of new reciprocal tariffs against trading partners (see 2504020072), saying they either plan to retaliate or are assessing how to respond.
Members of the Bureau of Industry and Security's Materials and Equipment Technical Advisory Committee were asked during their April 3 meeting to sign or re-sign non-disclosure agreements as Trump administration officials review how the TACs operate.
The Bureau of Industry and Security this week revoked the export privileges of a Kenya-based company and two people for trying to illegally export airplane parts from the U.S. to Russia, including by lying to American freight forwarders and other businesses about where the parts would be sent. It also warned that the company and people are continuing to try to illegally buy export controlled parts from American businesses.
The Trump administration should reverse a planned $20 million funding cut for the Bureau of Industry and Security, which will hamper the agency’s ability to enforce export controls and weaken American technology competitiveness, a tech policy non-profit said this week.
The Bureau of Industry and Security reinstated a pause on export license applications last week, four people with knowledge of the situation said, days after officials announced at the agency’s March update conference that licensing was expected to soon return to normal.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned six entities and two people in Iran, the United Arab Emirates and China responsible for buying drone parts for Iran-based Qods Aviation Industries, the leading manufacturer for the country's drone program. DOJ also announced charges against people and one company involved in the network after saying they illegally sent controlled U.S. technology to Iran.
The Bureau of Industry and Security’s recent semiconductor-related export controls could place large burdens not only on exporters but also on BIS enforcement, which will face a host of challenges trying to track whether certain countries have filled their allocated chip quotas, researchers said.