Members responding to the American Chamber of Commerce in China's 2026 business survey cited slower customs clearances, export licenses and related approvals, and import and export controls as the non-tariff barriers they have most frequently faced over the past year, and more than half said their "operational and investment decisions" have been "significantly impacted" by export controls.
Although the Trump administration plans to allow Nvidia H200 chips to be exported to China, a White House official stressed last week that those exports will be closely scrutinized and that the U.S. will continue to restrict exports of the most leading-edge American chips and technology. Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, also said he doesn’t believe the Bureau of Industry and Security needs any additional authorities from Congress to boost its export control implementation or enforcement powers.
British companies are still seeing significant post-Brexit trade delays and disruptions when moving goods to and from the EU, including steel products, jets, autos, agricultural goods and more, U.K. industry officials told the country’s Parliament this week. They urged the U.K. government to resolve a range of customs issues with the EU and negotiate carve-outs from upcoming EU tariffs, especially as they said the U.K.’s trade relationship with the U.S. grows more unpredictable.
The U.S. is planning to impose a 25% tariff on imports of certain advanced chips that are then exported elsewhere, the White House said Jan. 14.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is easing its license review policy for certain chip exports to China but requiring exporters to meet several pre-conditions, including by certifying that there is “sufficient supply” of the chip in the U.S. and that the chips will be subject to “rigorous” know your customer procedures.
Companies should expect the Trump administration to continue to rely heavily on sanctions and sanctions enforcement as a foreign policy tool in 2026, including through new designations to pressure countries in the Western Hemisphere and penalties on gatekeepers that enable evasion, law firms said this month. They also said it's still unclear how the U.S. will approach its sanctions regime against Venezuela, although the administration would likely be able to easily roll back many of those restrictions.
The Pentagon is looking to tighten controls around fundamental research to better shield that research from “malign" foreign influence and intellectual property theft, including by barring grants if the research involves companies on the agency's 1260H List.
The Bureau of Industry and Security reached a $1.5 million settlement this week with an international procurement company after its Shanghai affiliate admitted to illegally transferring low-level semiconductor equipment to a Chinese company on the Entity List.
The U.S.-China trade relationship will experience a relatively stable year in 2026 as both sides determine their next steps amid an export control stalemate, Eurasia Group analysts predicted this week.
The U.S. government hasn't yet approved license applications for Nvidia to sell its H200 AI chips to China, Nvidia CFO Colette Kress said this week.