'Permissive' US Export Controls Likely Helped China Build Nuclear Missiles, Lawmaker Says

Weak U.S. export controls and licensing policies may have contributed to China's reported development of nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles, Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said Oct. 18. McCaul said he warned the Commerce Department to place stricter controls on China’s Phytium Technologies -- a company “contributing” to the country’s hypersonic weapons program -- by applying the foreign direct product rule (see 2104150040).

“It is likely that U.S. software and tools contributed to the creation of this weapons system, because of our country’s permissive export controls and licensing policies with China,” McCaul said. “This should be a wakeup call for the Biden Administration to overhaul export controls and fundamentally reassess our technological ties to China.” A spokesperson for the Bureau of Industry and Security, which oversees export controls at Commerce, didn’t comment.