The U.S. National Science Foundation is seeking public comments as it develops an “action plan” on artificial intelligence development. The request for information, issued on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, will help “define the priority policy actions needed to sustain and enhance America's AI dominance” and remove “unnecessarily burdensome requirements” that hinder AI innovation. It specifically asks for feedback on AI “innovation and competition, intellectual property, procurement, international collaboration, and export controls,” among other areas. Comments are due March 15.
U.S. export controls on computing chips and chipmaking equipment are more likely to slow China's advances in artificial intelligence than in military modernization, a researcher said during a Feb. 6 hearing of the congressionally mandated U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
The U.S. should consider strengthening export controls on technology that China needs for its aerospace industry, an aviation industry expert told a U.S. commission last week, but not so much that it risks decoupling the two nations’ aviation supply chains.
The Treasury Department is expected in the near future to provide its input on legislation that lawmakers plan to propose again to restrict U.S. outbound investment in China, Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., said Feb. 7.
Sergei Zharnovnikov, a Kyrgyzstan national, was charged this week with illegal smuggling and conspiring to illegally export firearms from the U.S. to Russia. Zharnovnikov, who faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted, traveled to the U.S. last month for the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show in Las Vegas, where he was arrested.
Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., reintroduced a resolution Feb. 4 urging the U.N. Security Council to impose an arms embargo on Myanmar's military.
Eight Republican members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, including Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, urged the State Department this week to sanction Chinese entities involved in transferring missile propellant ingredients to Iran.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.Y., said Feb. 6 that Democrats remain open to negotiating a deal with Republicans on a bill to sanction International Criminal Court (ICC) officials.
The State Department officially published the Cuba Restricted List in the Federal Register this week, days after the Trump administration reinstated the list as part of an effort to reverse last-minute moves by President Joe Biden that removed certain sanctions against the country (see 2502030055, 2501220008 and 2501170021). Entities on the list are generally blocked by the Cuban Assets Control Regulations from participating in financial transactions with U.S. parties, and the Bureau of Industry and Security will generally deny export applications "for use by entities or subentities" on the list.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control officially retired its RSS feed Jan. 31, the agency said in a notice this week (see 2411220009). The agency continues to provide updates about recent sanctions by email, and users can sign up for those updates. Technical support questions should be sent to O_F_A_C@treasury.gov.