The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation will build a chip factory in Arizona in a move expected to boost U.S. semiconductor competitiveness amid the trade war with China. Production is expected to begin in 2024, the TSMC said May 15, and will reach a “20,000 semiconductor wafer per month capacity.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will hold a virtual meeting May 21 to discuss with industry the terms of a potential agreement to produce personal protective equipment, FEMA said in a notice. The agreement would “maximize the effectiveness of the distribution of critical health and medical resources nationwide” to respond to pandemics, FEMA said, including establishing terms for coordination between the federal government and PPE manufacturers. “The agreement would establish the terms, conditions, and procedures under which participants agree voluntarily to contribute and facilitate health and medical resource production and distribution capacity as requested by FEMA,” the agency said. FEMA is currently overseeing export control decisions on U.S. shipments of PPE (see 2004210022).
The State Department approved a potential $230 million military sale to Hungary for 60 AIM-120C-7/C-8 AMRAAMER missiles and other equipment, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said May 8. The prime contractor is Raytheon.
The State Department approved a potential military sale to the United Arab Emirates worth $556 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said May 7. The sale includes more than 4,500 “MRAP” vehicles, the DSCA said. The vehicles will be sourced from U.S. Army stocks as “excess defense articles,” the agency said.
The State Department approved a potential military sale to Egypt worth $2.3 billion, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said May 7. The sale includes 43 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, the DSCA said. The principal contractors are Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on May 4 announced “increased availability” of credit guarantees for agricultural exports for 2020. The credit is available under the Commodity Credit Corporation’s Export Credit Guarantee Program, and includes export credit for Africa, the Middle East, Turkey, the Caucasus region, Central Asia, Asia and Latin America.
The State Department approved two potential military sales to the Philippines worth $450 million and $1.5 billion, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said April 30. The first sale includes six AH-1Z attack helicopters and the second sale includes six AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, the DSCA said. The principal contractors for the first sale are Bell Helicopter Textron and General Electric. The contractors for the second sale are Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said that CBP told members of the trade community that very little of the personal protective equipment subject to export oversight is being slowed on its way out of the country. The CBP official said that out of 1,000 shipments, it is reviewing 100 and holding 10.
The State Department issued a notice to inform industry of a series of compliance, licensing and management measures to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The notice includes measures announced by the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls on April 23 (see 2004240017). The measures allow for temporary “suspensions, modifications, and exceptions” of certain International Traffic in Arms Regulations requirements, including registration renewals, time limits on licenses and agreements, and remote working measures.
As Thompson Hine lawyers on a webinar discussed exemptions to the Federal Emergency Management Agency restrictions on exports of personal protective equipment, they noted that goods held in bonded warehouses or in foreign-trade zones aren't subject to the controls. As a result, they expect the two to become more widely used over the next year.