China last week announced sanctions against six American defense companies and their senior executives for arms sales to Taiwan. The measures, taken under China’s anti-foreign sanctions law (see 2309270039 and 2310230032), target Anduril Industries, Maritime Tactical Systems, Pacific Rim Defense, AEVEX Aerospace, LKD Aerospace and Summit Technologies, according to an unofficial translation of a July 12 notice from the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry said the sanctions freeze those companies’ assets in China, and Chinese companies will be barred from doing certain business with their executives. Spokespeople for the six companies didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The House Appropriations Committee has included several export control provisions in a new report accompanying its version of the FY 2025 Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Bill.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee approved several export control and sanction bills July 10, including a resolution that would block the Bureau of Industry and Security’s new interim final rule restricting firearms exports (see 2406100048).
The Bureau of Industry and Security is recommending exporters, reexporters and other businesses add a new customer screening tool to their due diligence steps before trading in goods that could later be diverted to Russia’s military, especially for microelectronics and other sensitive goods Russia is looking to import. In new guidance published this week, BIS also clarified the specific compliance steps companies and universities should take if they receive a red-flag letter, an is-informed letter or other written warnings from the agency about certain risky customers or transactions.
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The Bureau of Industry and Security denied, revoked or didn't take action on about one-third of all license applications involving Chinese companies on the Entity List between 2018 and 2023, according to a snapshot of licensing data released by BIS July 2.
The Bureau of Industry and Security this week added six entities to the Entity List for either helping to train China’s military, evading U.S. government end-use checks or shipping export-controlled items to Russia. The agency also updated its Unverified List, adding 13 new parties and removing eight others, including one Russian company that it transferred to the Entity List earlier this year. Both rules took effect July 3.
The Bureau of Industry and Security will add six entities to the Entity List and update its Unverified List to include 13 new parties and remove eight others, the agency said in a pair of rules released July 2 and effective July 3.
A bill introduced last week by Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., and other Republicans would return China’s Institute of Forensic Science to the Commerce Department's Entity List. The agency removed the institute last year (see 2311160003).
While the U.S. and the EU are increasingly aligning their views on China, the two sides still don’t yet fully agree on how to use export controls, investment restrictions and other economic security tools to respond to economic and national security threats posed by Beijing, panelists during a Center for a New American Security event said last week. They also said they expect challenges facing American businesses in China to continue to grow, particularly if the U.S. pursues more trade restrictions and as Beijing builds out its anti-foreign sanctions laws.