The House Foreign Affairs Committee's release of export licensing information for Huawei and China’s chipmaker SMIC (see 2110210073) may not present an accurate picture of licensing approvals and may mislead industry, the Commerce Department said Oct. 22. Although the agency approved more than a combined $100 billion worth of export licenses for shipments to Huawei and SMIC from November 2020 through April, the statistics didn’t reflect pending applications set to be denied, which would have significantly lowered the percentage of approved applications for both companies.
The Bureau of Industry and Security completed an interagency review of a pre-rule that would propose new export controls on certain brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies. The rule, which was sent to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Oct. 5 (see 2110060006) and completed Oct. 19, will seek to determine whether BCI items are emerging technologies and whether effective controls can be put in place. BIS plans to ask for public comments in the pre-rule.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is accepting questions and comments ahead of the first U.S.-European Union joint outreach event on dual-use export controls under the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council. The virtual event, scheduled for Oct. 27 (see 2110190020), will allow members of industry, academia and the public to review and discuss “principles and areas for export control cooperation” along with U.S. and EU officials. BIS is accepting comments through TTCExportControls@bis.doc.gov.
Export controls may prevent some hurdles in the investment and development of emerging quantum computing technologies, the Government Accountability Office said in an Oct. 19 report. Controls may limit some U.S. trade, prevent U.S. quantum technology companies from collaborating with other countries and deter U.S. firms from employing highly skilled foreign workers, the GAO said.
The Bureau of Industry and Security approved more than a combined $100 billion worth of export licenses for shipments to Huawei and Chinese top chipmaker SMIC from November 9, 2020, through April 20, 2021, according to documents released Oct. 21 by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. BIS said it approved 113 licenses for Huawei -- about 70% of the total license applications it received -- for more than $61 billion worth of goods during that time period. The agency also approved 188 licenses for SMIC -- about 90% of the total it received -- for more than $41 billion worth of exports.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is proposing to clarify and expand restrictions on using License Exception Strategic Trade Authorization (see 2109130013), which it hopes will reduce exporter “confusion” and better control certain sensitive technologies, BIS said Oct. 21.
The Bureau of Industry and Security will issue new export controls on certain cybersecurity items and create a new license exception for those exports, BIS said in an interim final rule released Oct. 20. The rule, which will align U.S. cybersecurity restrictions with controls previously agreed to at the multilateral Wassenaar Arrangement, will establish more restrictions on certain items that can be used for “malicious cyber activities” by imposing a license requirement for shipments to certain countries, BIS said. The changes take effect Jan. 19, and BIS will accept public comments until Dec. 6.
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The Bureau of Industry and Security will issue new export controls on certain cybersecurity items and create a new license exception for those exports, according to an interim final rule. The rule will establish more restrictions on items that can be used for “malicious cyber activities” by imposing a license requirement for shipments to certain countries, BIS said. The changes, which take effect Jan. 19, will align U.S. cybersecurity restrictions with controls previously agreed to at the multilateral Wassenaar Arrangement. BIS is also seeking public comments on the changes by Dec. 6.
The Bureau of Industry and Security completed interagency review of an interim final rule that could make changes to the Commerce Control List for certain cybersecurity items. The rule, received by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in September (see 2109200005) and completed Oct. 14, would build upon a proposed rule published by BIS in 2015 that was intended to gather feedback on new Wassenaar Arrangement controls on some cybersecurity items.