Newsletter Archives

BIS Event: 4 Former BIS Heads Spanning 4 Administration’s Talk Future Of Bureau. Register here to attend China Tech Threat’s July 13 virtual event featuring four former heads of the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) spanning the Trump, Obama, Bush and Clinton Administrations. Hosted by China Tech Threat Co-Founder Dr. Roslyn Layton, the discussion will focus on their tenures and what’s next for BIS given the challenges facing the agency and the resources it has today. For more on the future of BIS as anticipation builds for President Biden’s pick to lead it, visit our Future of BIS page. NEW VLOG: High Tech Heist Video Series On Cyber Threats To U.S. Banks. China Tech Threat released the first episode of its… Read More

New Vlog: Pittenger On Massive China Campaign To Collect Data.In the second vlog of our High Tech Heist video series on banking cybersecurity, Dr. Roslyn Layton sat down with Congressman Robert Pittenger to discuss the growing threat of Chinese data collection, his work as lead author of the 2018 Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA) to reform the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), and the ways in which he confronted U.S. industries, including banking and the military, about doing business with risky Chinese technology vendors, including Lenovo. “The Chinese are in a massive campaign in collecting data,” Pittenger told Layton. View the full video here.  Video: CSET Expert On Importance Of American Semiconductor Market.  Dr. Roslyn… Read More

China Tech Threat Launches Policy Recommendation Series For BIS While awaiting Senate confirmation of Alan Estevez as the new Under Secretary for Commerce of the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) and Thea Kendler as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration, China Tech Threat (CTT) has launched the first in a series of recommendations to help the new BIS leadership pursue an aggressive agenda in 2022 and use the agency’s full range of tools to protect America’s security and prosperity. The first recommendation is for BIS to strengthen enforcement to detect, identify, prosecute, penalize, and deter export control violation. The recommendation comes from the resource-constrained level of enforcement compared to the total value of export of dual-use technologies, which exceeds tens… Read More

Release Of BIS Recommendation #3: Strengthen SME Restrictions To Prevent China’s Self Sufficiency. We released our third in a series of policy recommendations meant to help leaders at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) prevent adversaries from acquiring and weaponizing sensitive U.S.-made technologies. CTT’s third recommendation calls for the next BIS head to prioritize semiconductors and Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment (SME) with trade restrictions, strengthen the export control regime and eliminate holes in the framework, and implement unilateral controls in tandem with broader multilateral efforts. The report cites Chinese chipmaker examples like Yangtze Memory Technologies Company (YMTC), which lawmakers have called a “PRC state-owned national champion”—that have sought to circumvent U.S. export controls designed to prevent adversaries like the PRC… Read More

October 19: Event With FCC Commissioner Carr On Expanding The Covered List. On Tuesday, October 19, China Tech Threat is hosting a virtual event with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr on expanding the FCC’s Covered List. The 2019 Secure and Trusted Networks Act directs the FCC to establish a “Covered List” of communications equipment and services that pose an unacceptable risk to our national security. CTT’s Dr. Roslyn Layton, Commissioner Carr, CNAS’ Martijn Rasser, CSET’s Emily Weinstein, National Security Lawyer Jordan Brunner and the Telecom Industry Association’s Colin Andrews will discuss current proceedings on the Covered List. Click here for additional details and to register. For more on the FCC proposed rule and comments CTT filed advising the agency on how to ensure the Covered… Read More

BIS Watch: Register For June 8 “Let The Chips Fall At BIS?” Panel. Register here for  Tuesday’s virtual panel event with China Tech Threat Co-Founder Dr. Roslyn Layton, Stephen Ezell with the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, Will Hunt with Georgetown’s Center for Security & Emerging Technology, and Emily de La Bruyere with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. The expert panel will examine how Congress and the Biden Administration should manage the challenges surrounding semiconductors, and the leadership and next steps needed at the most important agency you’ve never heard of, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS).  For more on the future of BIS as anticipation builds for President Biden’s pick to lead it, visit our Future of BIS page.  Column: Semiconductors Have… Read More