The Bureau of Industry and Security added a Chinese electronics company and a Canada-headquartered technology software company to the Entity List for trying to illegally acquire U.S. items or for being involved in other activities that are “contrary” to U.S. national security and foreign policy, the agency said Feb. 26. It also removed one United Arab Emirates-based entity from the Entity List.
The Bureau of Industry and Security recently released a fact sheet to mark the one-year anniversary of its Disruptive Technology Strike Force, the group formed with DOJ to pool resources toward investigations and prosecutions of high-priority export control cases. In the last year, the group has charged 14 cases involving alleged sanctions, export control violations or illegal transfers, issued temporary denial orders against 29 entities and helped “numerous parties” be placed on the Entity List and the Specially Designated Nationals List. It also said it recently added enforcement teams in the Eastern District of North Carolina, the Western District of Texas, and the Southern District of Georgia.
The Bureau of Industry and Security on Feb. 21 completed a round of interagency review for an interim final rule that could clarify export control rules for certain semiconductors and expand a license exception for government end users. The rule, sent for interagency review Jan. 26, could clarify controls on certain “Radiation Hardened Integrated Circuits” and expand License Exception GOV (governments, international organizations, international inspections under the Chemical Weapons Convention, and the International Space Station).
The Bureau of Industry and Security added two entities to the Entity List for trying to illegally acquire U.S. items or for being involved in other activities that are “contrary” to U.S. national security and foreign policy, the agency said Feb. 26. The entities are China-based Chengdu Beizhan Electronics and Sandvine Incorporated, which has locations in multiple countries. Effective Feb. 27, the companies are subject to license requirements for all items subject to the Export Administration Regulations, and licenses will be reviewed under a presumption of denial.
The U.S. announced a new set of sweeping Russia-related export controls and sanctions last week to mark the two-year anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and to respond to Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny's death in prison. The measures include nearly 100 additions to the Commerce Department’s Entity List, more than 500 sanctions designations by the Treasury and State departments and new government guidance, including a new business advisory to warn companies about Russia-related compliance risks.
U.S., Japanese and Korean officials met in Tokyo this week to discuss export controls, including ways their three countries can better share information and align their restrictions, the Bureau of Industry and Security said. The meeting was the “first in-person meeting of its kind” focused on aligning export controls, BIS said, and the three sides agreed to “further align on Russia controls, collaborate on outreach to countries in Southeast Asia, and cooperate on controls for critical and emerging technologies.”
The Bureau of Industry and Security this week eliminated some license requirements for exports of certain cameras, systems and related components, which the agency said will help U.S. exporters better compete with foreign firms and reduce licensing burdens. The final rule, released Feb. 22, also introduces a new control for certain high-speed cameras that BIS said pose proliferation risks.
The U.S. announced a new set of sweeping Russia-related export controls and sanctions this week to mark the two-year anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and to respond to Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny's death in prison. The measures include nearly 100 additions to the Commerce Department’s Entity List and more than 500 sanctions designations by the Treasury and State departments in what the U.S. said is its largest single tranche of designations since Russia began the war in 2022.
Matthew Axelrod, the Bureau of Industry and Security's top export enforcement official, traveled to Germany last week to talk with European industry executives and enforcement officials about export controls and to speak at the 2024 Munich Security Conference. BIS said Axelrod “participated in several discussions regarding national security challenges facing the United States and its partners.” Matthew Olsen, head of DOJ’s National Security Division, and Paul Rosen, the Treasury Department’s assistant secretary for investment security, also attended.
The Bureau of Industry and Security sent a final rule for interagency review this week that will introduce new Russia-related export controls. The rule, sent to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Feb. 20, would impose new export, reexport and in-country transfer restrictions on people and entities blocked under Executive Order 14024, issued in 2021 to address national security threats from Russia.