Clete Willems, former White House deputy assistant to the president for international economics, believes the U.S. must convince allies to present a unified front to China on industrial subsidies, censorship and cybersecurity issues. Willems, who is now a lobbyist with Akin Gump, was speaking during a June 12 online program of the Asia Society. When it's just the U.S. arguing for reforms, he said, China can portray it as the U.S. trying to keep China down. But, he said, it might be possible to get China to change, “if we are able to portray them as an international outlier, which I think they are.”
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs began an interagency review for a final rule from the Commerce Department that will implement certain export control decisions from the 2018 Wassenaar Arrangement plenary. The rule, received by OIRA May 20, will also make “other revisions related to national security controls.” During a May 19 Emerging Technology Technical Advisory Committee meeting, Commerce officials said the agency is preparing to issue several emerging technology controls within weeks (see 2005190052).
The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company declined to say whether it has stopped processing new orders for Huawei and said it is still reviewing new U.S. export restrictions issued last week (see 2005150058). In a statement, a TSMC spokesperson said the company does not comment on details relating to customer orders but said it has “always complied with the law. The company said it has hired outside counsel to “conduct legal analysis and ensure a comprehensive examination and interpretation” of the new restrictions. “The semiconductor industry supply chain is extremely complex,” the spokesperson said. “TSMC is following the U.S. export rule change closely.”
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs began an interagency review for a final rule from the Commerce Department that will implement certain export control decisions from the 2020 Australia Group meeting. The rule, received by OIRA May 5, will add certain “rigid-walled, single-use cultivation chambers and precursor chemicals” to the Commerce Control List. The rule would also amend the Export Administration Regulations by revising biological and chemical controls on the CCL.
G-20 trade ministers said export restrictions imposed due to the pandemic should “not create unnecessary barriers” and urged countries to refrain from restricting exports of food, according to a May 14 joint statement. In the statement, the ministers reaffirmed their commitment to mitigate pandemic impacts on trade and investment and called for more actions to help with the global recovery, including proposed measures to support trade regulations, facilitation, transparency, logistics and more. Minimal export restrictions will help “build resilience in global supply chains,” the ministers said, adding that the G-20 should support World Trade Organization reform, share best practices for border restrictions and create a “non-discriminatory, transparent, predictable and stable trade” environment.
The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security is allowing more time for comments on an information collection relating to technology letters of explanation, according to a notice. The letters provide assurance to BIS and requires the “consignee” to certify that an export involving controlled technical data will not be released to blocked countries. BIS first requested comments for the collection in February (see 2002050019).
Scarcity of medical products for developing countries is likely to worsen as the world’s major economies -- including the U.S., India and Germany -- continue to place export restrictions on virus-fighting goods, according to an April 28 United Nations notice. The UN said nearly 80 countries have imposed an export restriction on medical supplies, creating import obstacles for poor and vulnerable countries, which depend on “the steady and consistent availability” of these items from the world’s major producers. The UN urged nations to “temper” their “instinct” to act out of self-interest, saying export restrictions will be “detrimental to everyone in the long run.”
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is suspending the general license authority for exports of “byproduct material” to Pakistan, the NRC said in a notice. Exporters are no longer authorized to ship those materials to Pakistan without a specific license, the commission said. The new restrictions are “necessary to enhance the common defense” and security of the U.S., the notice said. The suspension will “remain in effect until further notice.”
The State Department issued its 2020 report on global compliance with arms control, nonproliferation and disarmament agreements, according to an April 15 press release. The report contains summaries of other nations’ compliance with arms control commitments, including potential violations.
Switzerland recently amended its Goods Control Act to include export controls for surveillance goods, according to an unofficial translation of a March notice from the Swiss Federal Assembly. Although Switzerland previously had the authority to control exports of surveillance equipment, that authority was outlined in a temporary legislation, according to an April 8 post from the European Sanctions blog. The blog referred to “goods which could be used for internet or mobile phone surveillance.” The amendment will create a “legal basis” for surveillance export controls and will “transpose the current temporary regulation into ordinary law,” Switzerland said.