The Bureau of Industry and Security added six Chinese entities to the Entity List last week because of their ties to China’s “High Altitude Balloons'' intelligence and reconnaissance activities. BIS said the aerospace and technology entities support China’s military modernization efforts, particularly the People's Liberation Army’s aerospace programs, including “airships and balloons and related materials and components.” The move came days after the U.S. shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon in U.S. airspace.

The Bureau of Industry and Security added six Chinese entities to the Entity List because of their ties to China’s “High Altitude Balloons'' reconnaissance activities. The move comes days after the U.S. shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon in U.S. airspace. The aerospace and technology entities require a license for all items subject to the Export Administration Regulations, and BIS will review license applications under a presumption of denial. The additions take effect Feb. 10.

The U.S. and its allies should establish a new multilateral export control system to prevent sensitive technologies from being sent to dangerous end-users, including those in China, said Rich Ashooh, a former senior U.S. export control official. Ashooh applauded American efforts so far and said it shouldn’t abandon the existing multilateral control regimes, but he said a more formal system is needed.

A Miami-based company violated U.S. export regulations when it illegally shipped red dot scopes to Austria and Switzerland, the Bureau of Industry and Security said in Feb. 2 order. The company, Dotphins, entered into a settlement agreement with BIS that will require it to complete compliance training.

The Bureau of Industry and Security will hold a two-day conference this month to help it better understand emerging brain computer interface (BCI) technology as it considers potential export controls. The public conference, which will be both in person and virtual Feb. 16-17, comes a little more than a year after the agency requested public comments on potential BCI export restrictions (see 2110250011).

The Bureau of Industry and Security added seven Iranian entities to the Entity List this week for their involvement in drone transfers to Russia, the agency said in a final rule. The entities are Iranian producers of unmanned aerial vehicles, top BIS export enforcement official, Matthew Axelrod, said during a Toronto conference this week, adding that Russia is using the drones to “attack civilian infrastructure” in Ukraine.

The Bureau of Industry and Security added seven Iranian entities to the Entity List for aiding Russia’s military and defense industrial base. The additions, effective Jan. 31, will also be subject to the Russia/Belarus-Military End User Foreign Direct Product rule. They will require a license for all items subject to the Export Administration Regulation, and BIS will review license applications under a policy of denial except for certain food and medicine, which will be reviewed case by case. No license exceptions will be available.

The Bureau of Industry and Security last week renewed its temporary denial order for a Venezuela-based cargo airline after saying it continues to try to violate U.S. export restrictions (see 2208030014). BIS said Empresa de Transporte Aereocargo del Sur, also known as Aerocargo del Sur Transportation or Emtrasur, has shown a “blatant disregard for U.S. export controls and the terms of a preexisting TDO.”

The Bureau of Industry and Security this week updated its October chip controls on China to also extend the restrictions to Macau. BIS said Macau -- as a special administrative region of China -- presents a “risk of diversion” of export controlled items and should be subject to the same license requirements introduced by BIS’ October rule, which was intended to restrict China’s ability to acquire advanced computing chips and manufacture advanced semiconductors (see 2210070049).

The State, Commerce and Defense departments are planning virtual seminars on U.S. export controls for the government, industry and academic communities in Australia, Canada and the U.K. The seminars, which will be open to the public, will cover “topics related” to the Export Administration Regulations, International Traffic in Arms Regulations and the Foreign Military Sales program, and will be “specifically tailored” to industry and government officials located in the three U.S. trading partners. Because of time zone differences, the seminar for Canada and the U.K. will be held Jan. 23-26, and the Australia seminar, Feb. 6-8 (Feb. 7-9, Canberra time). Registration requests should be sent to DDTCRSVP@state.gov.