The U.S. needs to strike a better balance between targeting Chinese technology theft and encouraging open and collaborative technology research environments, the Center for Strategic and International Studies said in an Oct. 28 report. While the government is concerned Chinese students and scientists work as “‘nontraditional collectors’ in pursuit of [China’s] technology priorities,” CSIS said those risks “can and must be dealt with while simultaneously maintaining the fundamental openness of the system.”
The Federal Maritime Commission is accepting applications to fill a vacant spot on its recently formed National Shipper Advisory Committee, the FMC said in a notice released Nov. 2. The commission “excused” one committee member in September after the person changed jobs, which “altered the balance of the Committee,” the FMC said. The committee must be composed equally of importers and exporters. FMC is accepting applications, due Nov. 17, from an “entity who imports cargo to the United States using ocean common carriers.” The committee membership was announced Sept. 9, and it held its first meeting last month, when members said a new surcharge imposed by two California ports could severely exacerbate unfair detention and demurrage fees (see 2110280031).
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. began another national security investigation into Beijing’s Wise Road Capital's proposed acquisition of South Korea's Magnachip Semiconductor Corporation after the companies were granted a request to refile with the committee in September (see 2109160037). CFIUS’s new investigation period began in late October and is expected to be completed by Dec. 13, Magnachip said in an Oct. 29 Securities and Exchange Commission filing. The U.S. was expected to reject the transaction before Magnachip requested to refile. CFIUS’s intervention in the deal, which wasn’t voluntarily notified to the committee, could set a new precedent for investment reviews and lead to more extraterritorial screening by U.S. trading partners (see 2110140035).
CBP updated two links related to the Automated Export System filing application, the Census Bureau said in a Nov. 2 message to industry. The agency updated its WebLink application programming interface (API) URLs for the AESDirect WebLink Inquiry API page. The updated URLs “only pertain to filers that submit Electronic Export Information (EEI) via AESDirect WebLink,” the message said. The agency updated the production environment links for the WebLink Status API URL and the WebLink Filing API URL.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is seeking public comments on six proposed information collections related to defense exports, according to a notice released Oct. 28. Comments are due Dec. 1. The information collections are:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is preparing a proposal to the World Customs Organization to create specific harmonized system subheadings for fresh, frozen and dried blueberries, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said in an October report. The agency said it is pursuing this proposal because blueberries are grouped in HS-6 codes with other fruits of the genus Vaccinium, which makes it “challenging” to track blueberry trade. The agency hopes the proposal will “provide clarity on trade (and thus production) and achieve a more precise understanding of how large the market is and where trade (and thus production) is happening.” If the proposal is approved, USDA said changes likely won’t be implemented for “several years.”
The State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls recently posted a name change notice for ST Engineering Land Systems Ltd., KIS Division, a legal entity of Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd. It also is waiving the requirement for amendments to change approved license authorizations because of the “volume” of authorizations requiring amendments to reflect the change, DDTC said. ST Engineering Land Systems Ltd. will become ST Engineering Land MRO & Services Pte. Ltd., effective Jan. 1, 2022.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will resume in-person trade missions early next year, with the first trip set for Dubai, the agency said in an Oct. 25 email. The Feb. 16-21, 2022, mission will allow U.S. exporters to visit with foreign buyers and “boost their export sales” to the United Arab Emirates and the surrounding region, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said. The agency said the UAE market offers “strong potential” for exporters of dairy, fresh produce, nuts, beef products and chocolate and is seeing growing demand for U.S. corn and soybean meal. The deadline to apply for the trade mission is Nov. 8.
Sun Life Financial, a Canadian financial services firm, plans to submit a “pre-filing draft of a notice” to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. regarding its acquisition of U.S. oral healthcare company DentaQuest. The parties will “use reasonable best efforts to provide any information requested” by CFIUS, Sun Life said in an October Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Sun Life plans to buy DentaQuest for $2.48 billion.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking public comments on an information collection relating to transfers of export licenses, it said. Export licenses can be transferred under “certain circumstances,” the agency said, such as company mergers or takeovers that “necessitate the transfer of an active export license from one party to another.” Comments are due Dec. 20.