Newly confirmed Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo interviewed Chinese technology expert James Mulvenon to head the Bureau of Industry and Security, Reuters reported March 30. It’s unclear whether the interview will lead to a “vetting” for the undersecretary post, the report said, or how many others will be interviewed. A BIS spokesperson declined to comment.
Exports to China
The State Department on March 31 issued its annual report to Congress certifying that Hong Kong doesn’t warrant differential treatment from mainland China under U.S. law. The report follows a determination last year by the Trump administration that Beijing’s so-called national security law was infringing upon Hong Kong’s autonomy, which led to a series of U.S.-imposed trade restrictions, sanctions and export controls (see 2005270026, 2012220053 and 2103170027). Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. will continue to work with Congress and allies “to stand with people in Hong Kong against [China’s] egregious policies and actions.”
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative released the 2021 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers, detailing foreign market access barriers faced by U.S. exporters. The 574-page report examines 65 U.S. trading partners and country groups, including any import policies, tariffs, customs, procedures and phytosanitary measures that are restricting U.S. goods.
A bipartisan group of former U.S. national security officials asked the Biden administration to support a bill that would establish a State Department office to coordinate export controls, standards setting and other critical technology issues with other democratic nations. The Democracy Technology Partnership Act, introduced in the Senate earlier this month, would help the U.S. better respond to Chinese efforts to dominate global technology sectors and lead in emerging technologies, the former officials said in a March 30 letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for March 22-26 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching on the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The Joe Biden administration’s trade agenda should prioritize export control cooperation with Europe, work to remove trade barriers for U.S. exporters in Asian markets and address unfair Chinese trade practices, a U.S. technology industry group said. If U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai promotes the right trade “goals,” the U.S. can “re-establish” its technology leadership and boost export competitiveness, the Information Technology Industry Council said in a March 30 letter to Tai.
Three Sheppard Mullin lawyers, across two continents, say the outcome of the new aggressive stance against China's rising technological manufacturing sector is yet to be seen, but that they don't expect the Biden administration to back away from the most significant export control actions taken under President Donald Trump.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for March 15-19 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching on the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The U.S. should be doing more to restrict Chinese semiconductor companies from buying U.S. equipment, which is strengthening China’s military and ceding U.S. technology leadership, researchers said. Although the U.S. should bolster domestic policies to help the semiconductor industry -- including through supply chain, manufacturing and research incentives (see 2102240052) -- the researchers said the Commerce Department’s export controls include loopholes for companies that sell advanced technologies to China.
The Commerce Department should expand export restrictions on China’s top chipmaker to prevent it from accessing a broader range of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, two U.S. lawmakers said. In a March 18 letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, asked the agency to apply the foreign direct product rule to China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, which would restrict the company’s ability to import certain foreign-made semiconductor equipment that is built with or that incorporates U.S. technology. The move would subject SMIC to similar restrictions imposed by the Bureau of Industry and Security on other Chinese companies on the Entity List, including Huawei (see 2012210044).