The U.S. is pushing foreign governments to stop their semiconductor companies from servicing certain advanced chip tools under pre-existing contracts with Chinese customers, Bureau of Industry and Security Undersecretary Alan Estevez said.
Four Republican House members led by Rep. Nathaniel Moran of Texas have asked the Commerce and State departments to describe the measures they are considering to counteract what appears to be increasing collaboration between China and Iran on military drone development and distribution.
The Bureau of Industry and Security recently officially launched its new website. The agency had been operating a beta version of the website since at least December (see 2312040016). The new site has tabs on licensing information, enforcement updates, export guidance, a tool to search the Export Administration Regulations and more.
The Bureau of Industry and Security recently completed a round of interagency review for a final rule to make tweaks, clarifications and corrections to its recent chip export control updates released in October (see 2310170055). BIS sent the correction rule to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Nov. 27 (see 2311280005), and the review was completed March 21. BIS has said the agency is looking to clarify several issues that exporters have raised since the controls were updated and correct other provisions that “may not have fully hit the mark we intended” (see 2311060067, 2311160044 and 2401260051).
The Census Bureau this week alerted export filers about two new license codes in the Automated Export System for License Exception Notified Advanced Computing (NAC), the exception introduced last year by the Bureau of Industry and Security for certain exports of semiconductors that fall just below the agency’s most recently updated chip control parameters (see 2311200042 and 2401030053). Companies using the license exception and exporting certain chips must submit notifications to BIS with data about the chip, including its total processing performance, the name of the exporter and other parties to the transactions, and the volume and value of the shipment.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is seeking public comments on three information collections involving export activities. Comments for each are due May 24.
The Bureau of Industry and Security last week suspended the export privileges of one person for illegally providing services to Iran and two people for illegal weapons shipments to Mexico.
China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. “potentially” violated U.S. export control laws by producing 7 nanometer computing chips with American equipment it obtained before the Bureau of Industry and Security imposed updated export controls on chip-making tools last year, BIS Undersecretary Alan Estevez said.
The House on March 19 passed, by voice vote, a bill that would require that certain export licensing disputes be resolved by a majority vote of the government's interagency Operating Committee for Export Policy. Those disputes are currently resolved by the Operating Committee chair, who is a Bureau of Industry and Security employee.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is adding new export license requirements for people and entities designated under certain Treasury Department sanctions programs, a move it said will strengthen U.S. financial blocking measures and act as a “backstop” for activities that those restrictions don’t cover.