Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for Sept. 13-17 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Two nominees to lead the Bureau of Industry and Security said they will prioritize stopping illegal technology exports to China and are willing to bypass multilateral controls on certain sensitive technologies if unilateral restrictions are warranted. But Alan Estevez, President Joe Biden’s nominee for BIS undersecretary, and Thea Kendler, the nominee for assistant secretary for export administration, also stressed that export control cooperation with allies is crucial and committed to working to convince trade partners to adopt more controls.
Members of the World Trade Organization Information Technology Agreement should expand the ITA’s list of covered products to include more than 250 additional information and communications technology goods, the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation said in a September report. The foundation said this new and third expansion of the ITA -- called the “ITA-3” -- would eliminate tariffs on a range of evolving ICT goods and “generate tangible economic growth” for major trading nations, including the U.S., China, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and others.
An investment and research firm expects the Bureau of Industry and Security to issue several proposed rules for export controls related to semiconductors this fall and said BIS is considering other restrictions on certain Chinese technology companies. In a Sept. 17 report, the Cowen Washington Research Group said BIS is “likely” to soon issue several notices of proposed rulemaking to request industry comment on new controls for semiconductor capital equipment, mostly so the U.S. is prepared with new proposals for the next Wassenaar Arrangement cycle.
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. granted a request from Magnachip Semiconductor Corp. and Wise Road Capital to withdraw and resubmit their initial CFIUS filing, Magnachip said in a Sept. 14 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This will allow the two companies more time for “further discussion” with CFIUS about potential pathways to mitigate the national security risks CFIUS had identified in the merger. CFIUS’s new review period for the merger began Sept. 14 and will conclude no later than Oct. 28, the committee told Magnachip in a Sept. 13 letter. CFIUS may extend the review period if warranted.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking comments on an information collection related to the Biden administration's review of risks in the semiconductor supply chain (see 2103110047 and 2107280051), BIS said Sept. 14. BIS is seeking feedback from industry to better “identify data gaps and bottlenecks in the supply chain.” BIS said the Commerce Department’s “overall goal” is to “add transparency on the semiconductor supply and demand mismatch and identify common bottlenecks and chokepoints.” Comments are due within two days of the publication of the notice on the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs website. See the notice for search terms on the OIRA website.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai met with Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo Sept. 13, and in a summary of that meeting, she said she emphasized the importance of advancing workers' rights through the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, as well as using KORUS to resolve bilateral issues.
Export Compliance Daily is providing readers with the top stories for Sept. 7-10 in case you missed them. You can find any article by searching the title or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The European Commission released a fact sheet Sept. 9 titled, “Emerging Technologies Developments in the Context of Dual-Use Export Controls.” The publication is a compilation of fact sheets that cover topics addressed in the five workshops for member states held 2019-20 on emerging technologies, such as quantum computing, additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence, brain-computer interfaces, special materials, advanced semiconductors and hypersonics. After the workshops, each relevant emerging technology had a fact sheet developed for it.
The Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry took a hard line on a letter that 13 House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans sent Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg last week seeking information on reports that U.S. officials approved licensing applications for Huawei to buy U.S. semiconductors for China’s next-generation autonomous vehicles. The GOP members asked Buttigieg to respond by Sept. 23 to a dozen questions about the reports, including whether he’s concerned that Huawei is looking for a U.S. “foothold” to steal information on Americans and gather intelligence on the U.S. “transportation infrastructure.”