Rep. McCaul, Sen. Cotton Call on U.S. Commerce to Department to Tighten Controls on SME

Congressman Michael McCaul, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Senator Tom Cotton called on U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo last week to tighten restriction on the sale of semiconductor manufacturing equipment (SME) to China. “The export of advanced dual-use U.S. technology to any People’s Republic of China entity is effectively a direct delivery to the People’s Liberation Army,” the letter states. “Our export control system should reflect this reality.” Rep. McCaul and Sen. Cotton cite a Washington Post article this month, which revealed that sensitive electronic design automation (EDA) equipment sold to an ostensibly civilian Chinese company is now being used by China’s military to develop advanced weapons. Among those is a hypersonic missile that may be… Read More

Trump Administration Publishes List of Chinese and Russian Companies with Military Ties

The U.S. Department of Commerce published a list of Chinese and Russian companies with military ties on Monday. U.S. companies will be restricted from selling certain goods and technology to those named. The final list includes 103 entities, 14 fewer than on a draft obtained by Reuters in November. Fifty-eight are Chinese companies, 31 fewer than before. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the list will “assist exporters in screening their customers for military end users.” Only days before, the Department of Commerce added more than 60 Chinese companies to the Entity List, including China’s largest semiconductor maker, SMIC. “China’s corrupt and bullying behavior both inside and outside its borders harms U.S. national security interests,” Secretary Ross said in a statement… Read More