China’s Ministry of Commerce this week published proposed updates to its list of technologies subject to export controls, including new and revised restrictions on technology used to make battery parts and process certain critical minerals, according to an unofficial translation. If China moves forward with the controls, it would further restrict critical minerals such as lithium and gallium along with the technology used to process them, Reuters reported Jan. 2. The controls are reportedly open for public comment until Feb. 1.
The Bureau of Industry and Security on Jan. 2 published its annual export enforcement year in review, outlining the various penalties it imposed, indictments and guilty pleas it helped bring, guidance documents it issued and Entity List additions during 2024. The summary highlights enforcement actions against China, Russia and Iran; the due diligence best practices and recommendations BIS issued to exporters, financial institutions, and academia; export control-related partnerships the U.S. formed with trading partners; and more.
The incoming Trump administration should launch a “comprehensive review of supply chain and technology control policies,” including export controls and outbound investment restrictions, to determine whether they’re being used effectively, the Information Technology Industry Council said in a December report. It specifically called on the new administration to examine existing export controls on advanced semiconductors and equipment along with “technology transaction reviews on AI and quantum” to make sure they’re “bolstering national security.”
Congress and the executive branch should use a mix of export controls and foreign investment restrictions to prevent China from using biotechnology to commit human rights abuses, the Congressional-Executive Commission on China said in its 2024 annual report.
DHS Homeland Security Investigations made 1,512 seizures for violations of export laws and regulations in FY 2024, an almost identical pace to 2023, according to the division's annual report, released last week. The Export Enforcement Coordination Center also uncovered 49 investigative leads that helped prevent procurement of sensitive U.S. technologies.
The Bureau of Industry and Security issued several corrections to its September rule that outlined new export controls on certain advanced technologies, including quantum computing, semiconductor manufacturing and 3D printing technology (see 2409050028). The corrections, released Dec. 26 and effective Dec. 27, clarify a reference to quantum items eligible for a deemed export and deemed reexport exclusion, fix several “inadvertent errors” involving citations, and more.
The U.S. is planning new export controls to restrict sales of advanced artificial intelligence chips to certain parts of the world in a bid to further limit China’s ability to access them, The Wall Street Journal reported Dec. 13. The rules, which could reportedly come this month, may place caps on shipments of AI chips to certain countries for use in large computing facilities, including nations in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Close U.S. allies would not be affected, the report said. The Biden administration recently sent letters to major chipmakers informing them about some of the restrictions.
The Bureau of Industry and Security has completed a round of interagency review for a final rule that would make certain changes to U.S. export controls based on recent decisions made at the multilateral Australia Group. BIS sent the rule to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Nov. 22 (see 2411250004), and the review was completed Dec. 12.
The U.K. published its latest export control licensing data this week, detailing the number of licenses it approved, rejected, revoked and took actions for between April 1 and June 30. The data also includes information on the number of standard and open export licenses it issued during that time frame, the value of the goods shipped under those licenses, information on end-user destinations and more.
The multilateral Wassenaar Arrangement this month posted a summary of export control changes made during the group’s Dec. 4-5 plenary meeting in Austria, covering editorial changes, clarifications and updated control parameters for various categories under its list of dual-use goods and technologies. Wassenaar’s plenary chair, held this year by Italy, said member states adopted new controls involving suborbital spacecraft and their components as well as technologies used to make metal alloy powders for “high-performance” 3D printing of dual-use technologies. The group also agreed to clarify controls over systems for submersible vehicles, directed energy weapons, epitaxy-covered substrates for semiconductor manufacturing and more.