The U.S. may need new industry advisory committees to help it implement and maintain its semiconductor export controls against China, the Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a recent report.

The Bureau of Industry and Security on Feb. 21 completed a round of interagency review for an interim final rule that could clarify export control rules for certain semiconductors and expand a license exception for government end users. The rule, sent for interagency review Jan. 26, could clarify controls on certain “Radiation Hardened Integrated Circuits” and expand License Exception GOV (governments, international organizations, international inspections under the Chemical Weapons Convention, and the International Space Station).

U.S., Japanese and Korean officials met in Tokyo this week to discuss export controls, including ways their three countries can better share information and align their restrictions, the Bureau of Industry and Security said. The meeting was the “first in-person meeting of its kind” focused on aligning export controls, BIS said, and the three sides agreed to “further align on Russia controls, collaborate on outreach to countries in Southeast Asia, and cooperate on controls for critical and emerging technologies.”

Matthew Axelrod, the Bureau of Industry and Security's top export enforcement official, traveled to Germany last week to talk with European industry executives and enforcement officials about export controls and to speak at the 2024 Munich Security Conference. BIS said Axelrod “participated in several discussions regarding national security challenges facing the United States and its partners.” Matthew Olsen, head of DOJ’s National Security Division, and Paul Rosen, the Treasury Department’s assistant secretary for investment security, also attended.

The Bureau of Industry and Security sent a final rule for interagency review this week that will introduce new Russia-related export controls. The rule, sent to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Feb. 20, would impose new export, reexport and in-country transfer restrictions on people and entities blocked under Executive Order 14024, issued in 2021 to address national security threats from Russia.

The U.S. should pursue forming a new multilateral regime to coordinate export controls and related policies for critical and emerging technologies (CET) because existing multilateral export control entities are ill-suited for that role, the Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a new report.

A senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said the dissection of Russian military equipment used in the Ukraine war frequently uncovers Western-made microchips.

The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking comments on an information collection relating to offset agreements worth more than $5 million for sales of weapons systems or defense articles to foreign countries or companies. BIS said it defines offsets as “compensation practices required as a condition of purchase in either government-to-government or commercial sales of defense articles.” Comments are due April 16.

The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls has completed a round of interagency review for a new final rule that could add to its list of proscribed countries under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Those countries are generally subject to an export license review policy of denial. DDTC sent the rule for interagency review Jan. 12 (see 2401160017), and the review was completed Feb. 5.

The Bureau of Industry and Security has drafted and on Feb. 4 sent for interagency review an interim final rule to revise its export licensing requirements for certain firearms shipments. BIS in October announced a 90-day suspension of license applications for new gun exports (see 2310270068, 2310300043 and 2311200009). A draft document leaked in December purports to show some of the export control changes under consideration (see 2312260039).