China’s Ministry of Commerce criticized the latest semiconductor export control rule released by the U.S. last week, saying it has “overextended the concept of national security, arbitrarily modified rules, and tightened control measures.” That the U.S. issued an export control update “less than half a year after the last time” has caused “huge uncertainty.”
U.S. government officials at the Bureau of Industry and Security’s annual conference last week underscored the value of Mandarin-language skills when conducting due diligence on potential Chinese customers.
The Bureau of Industry and Security completed nearly a quarter of its end-use checks with a “less than favorable outcome” in FY 2023, a Commerce Department official said, meaning the agency couldn’t verify those end-users as a reliable recipient of U.S.-origin export-controlled goods.
A Bureau of Industry and Security rule released last week (see 2403290060) that updated and corrected portions of the agency’s October semiconductor export controls (see 2310170055) also added a new license exception and offered clarifications to export guidance issued by BIS over the last year. The changes take effect April 4, and comments are due by April 29.
The Census Bureau is hoping to figure out within the next several weeks whether it will eliminate an Automated Export System data element that collects redundant information on an export’s state of origin, a Commerce Department official said last week.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is expecting to soon finalize its proposed rule on License Exception Strategic Trade Authorization and is close to publishing new U.S. persons controls to restrict activities that support foreign military, security or intelligence agencies, said Thea Kendler, the agency’s assistant secretary for export administration.
The Census Bureau is hoping to publish a notice seeking public comments on its long-awaited routed export control rule before the upcoming presidential election, a Commerce Department official said this week.
Alex Lopes, director of the Bureau of Industry and Security's Office of Nonproliferation and Treaty Compliance, will be leaving BIS soon, said Thea Kendler, the agency’s top export administration official. Kendler, speaking during the BIS annual Update Conference, didn’t say when Lopes will officially leave, but she said he “has a well deserved retirement coming after a tremendous public service career.” Lopes has worked at Commerce for more than 21 years and as director since at least 2008, according to his LinkedIn profile.
U.S. companies interested in divesting Russian assets that are subject to the Export Administration Regulations may need to obtain multiple licenses from the U.S. government, a Commerce Department official said March 28.
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.