The Bureau of Industry and Security is gearing up to issue a set of corrections and clarifications to rules it released in October for advanced computing chips and chipmaking tools (see 2310170055), a Commerce Department official said March 28.
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.
The head of the Bureau of Industry and Security this week called on companies to double down on their export compliance and due diligence efforts, saying the agency is reaching out to exporters to make sure they’re catching red flags and monitoring for possible export control evasion.
U.S. export controls on clean technology goods to China would likely be “ineffective” and could backfire on American businesses trying to develop the next generation of green energy products, a researcher for a major European think tank said in a new report this month. The report argues that solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicle batteries and other green technologies don’t warrant new controls because they have “no dual-use or human-rights applications,” and restrictions could further strain the already fraught U.S.-China relationship.
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.
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The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls published new guidance this week to clarify how and when joint ventures must be included on registration statements. The new frequently asked questions cover companies subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and that are governed by a joint venture agreement.
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 State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls will again change the export control threshold for certain high-energy storage capacitors to remove license requirements from capacitors that are widely commercially available and no longer provide military or intelligence advantages. The change, outlined in a final rule published March 25 and effective April 24, decontrols certain capacitors with a voltage rating of 500 volts or less.
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.