The Commerce Department should immediately expand an exemption to allow U.S. companies to participate in standards-setting bodies that have members designated on the Entity List, industry representatives said. U.S. firms said they have been forced to avoid the bodies because they fear running afoul of U.S. export laws, a practice that could result in the U.S. losing important influence over the future of emerging technology standards.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee endorsed a bill that would impose sanctions against individuals and entities "who actively undermine civilian-led democracy and human rights in Sudan," according to co-sponsor Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif. The bipartisan bill, also co-sponsored by Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., was passed out of committee on Dec. 9. Sudan had a coup in October, and there was violence against civilians who protested the coup. Kim said in a press release, “The United States is a beacon of hope and opportunity and should support our allies in their pursuit of liberty and democracy. That is why I’m proud to lead the Sudan Democracy Act to help take concrete steps to show support for the brave people of Sudan as they peacefully protest for democracy and hold those responsible for undermining Sudan’s civilian-led democratic transition accountable." Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., supports similar language in that chamber.
The U.S. should lift all sanctions that may be preventing shipments of food, medicine and other humanitarian goods to Cuba, including restrictions on banks and personal remittances, more than 100 Democratic lawmakers wrote to President Joe Biden Dec. 14. Although the Treasury Department authorizes certain humanitarian aid to Cuba through its general licenses (see 2004160039 and 2108120025), the lawmakers said banks and humanitarian workers need more assurances.
The Senate on Dec. 16 passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which includes a sanctions provision targeting human rights abusers in China. The Senate approved the bill after it passed in the House earlier this week, when lawmakers reached a compromise on the legislation's language (see 2112140077). The bill is expected to be signed by President Joe Biden and become law.
President Joe Biden extended a national emergency that authorizes certain sanctions against human rights abuses and corruption, the White House said Dec. 16. The “prevalence” of human rights violations and corruption continues to threaten U.S. security, the White House said. The emergency was extended for one year beyond Dec. 20.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control added eight Chinese technology firms to its investment blacklist, including drone maker DJI, for helping the Chinese government track and detain Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. The move, announced Dec. 16, also banned investments in Cloudwalk Technology Co., Dawning Information Industry Co., Leon Technology Company, Megvii Technology, Netposa Technologies, Xiamen Meiya Pico Information Co. and Yitu, all of which are already on the Commerce Department’s Entity List.
The Bureau of Industry and Security added 37 entities to the Entity List, including 34 Chinese research institutes and technology companies, for supporting China’s military modernization efforts or Iran’s weapons program. Other entities added to the list, located in Georgia, Malaysia and Turkey, supplied U.S.-origin items to Iranian defense industries, BIS said.
China expressed serious concern over reports that the U.S. may impose tougher sanctions on the Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, China's leading semiconductor manufacturer. In Dec. 15 comments, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry said that "by overstretching the concept of national security, certain US politicians politicize and instrumentalize science and technology and economic and trade issues based on ideology." The spokesperson said the sanctions would run contrary to market economy and fair competition principles and harm the prospect of security in global supply chains.
Thea Kendler, President Joe Biden’s nominee for assistant secretary for export administration at the Bureau of Industry and Security, was confirmed by the Senate Dec. 14. Kendler previously worked on the U.S.'s criminal case against Huawei as an export control prosecutor and told lawmakers in September she will look to aggressively stop technology exports that may be used for human rights violations (see 2109210058).
A group of Senate and House Democrats called on the Biden administration to designate more spyware technology companies for human rights abuses, saying the designations will complement existing export restrictions meant to curb their sales of surveillance technologies to authoritarian governments. In a Dec. 15 letter to the Treasury and the State Department, the lawmakers said the U.S. should specifically impose Global Magnitsky sanctions against United Arab Emirates-based DarkMatter (see 2110220033), Israel-based NSO Group and European companies Nexa Technologies and Trovicor. The sanctions should target the companies as well as their CEOs and other senior executives, the letter said, adding that they all have sold surveillance technologies and services to help governments commit human rights violations.