The Bureau of Industry and Security this week extended the comment period for an information collection relating to offset agreements worth more than $5 million for sales of weapons systems or defense articles to foreign countries or companies (see 2201130008). Comments on the information collection, originally due March 15, have been extended for an additional 30 days to June 27.
The U.S. plans to build on and improve its export controls and investment screening measures to keep China from acquiring sensitive technologies, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Blinken, in a speech outlining the Biden administration’s China policy, also urged industry to reassess whether the price of doing business in China is worth the benefits and to work with the administration to push back against Beijing's unfair market practices.
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, criticized the Bureau of Industry and Security's decision to stop differentiating between emerging and foundational technologies for the purposes of export controls, saying the agency is trying to dodge its statutory responsibility. BIS said last week that the effort to categorize technologies as either emerging or foundational has sometimes delayed the controls, adding that it will instead refer to them as Section 1758 technologies (see 2205200017).
The Bureau of Industry and Security completed an interagency review for a final rule that would introduce a congressional notification requirement for certain weapons exports. The rule, sent to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs May 17 (see 2205180006) and completed May 24, would require notifications for certain semiautomatic firearms exports under the Export Administration Regulations.
Bureau of Industry and Security Undersecretary Alan Estevez said his top long-term priority is building a new multilateral export control regime, and he urged industry to continue considering diversifying away from China and Russia. He also said BIS is working hard to control emerging and foundational technologies and welcomes more input from industry, academia and think tanks.
The Bureau of Industry and Security this week finalized its new controls on cybersecurity items, making several changes to the rule’s language and addressing some questions from the public comment period. The changes include revisions to the definition of “government end user” and other actions to “clarify the scope of controls,” BIS said in a final rule effective May 26.
The Bureau of Industry and Security published its official temporary denial order for Russia’s Rossiya Airlines (see 2205200008), detailing various export violations by the airline operator. BIS said it has “heightened concerns of future violations” by Rossiya, including the “refueling, maintenance, repair or the provision of spare parts or services” for its planes.
The U.S. and other techno-democracies should capitalize on their closely coordinated Russia sanctions work to create a new multilateral export control group, said two experts with Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology. A new regime, which would include a range of technology-producing nations that share democratic values, would help those countries address technology proliferation issues that existing regimes can not.
Russia announced new sanctions against U.S. citizens, including two Treasury Department officials and two former Bureau of Industry and Security officials, according to an unofficial translation of a May 21 notice. Russia designated Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo, who has overseen some of the agency’s sanctions work, and Andrea Gacki, the director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
The Bureau of Industry and Security on May 20 completed an interagency review of a final rule related to its new export controls over certain cybersecurity items (see 2110200036 and 2201110025). BIS said earlier this year it was planning to make minor revisions to the rule to address some public comments (see 2202100026). The agency sent the rule for interagency review March 8 (see 2203090013).