Alan Estevez

Estevez Senate Hearing: Mixed Messages on YMTC Continue

Posted on by China Tech Threat
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Under Secretary Alan Estevez testified to the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday about issues related to U.S. Export Controls. There is still no clarity what the U.S. government’s stance is on Chinese military-linked chipmaker YMTC. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia told Estevez that American memory chip manufacturers have complained to him about YMTC’s activities, which he said are “typical of a lot of the new Chinese memory and chip-related firms.” That is to say, they are tied to the Chinese military and benefit from massive subsidies designed to kill off foreign competitors. Sen. Warner also noted a recent Financial Times story detailing YMTC’s ties to Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications firm on the Commerce Department’s… Read More

“They Are Going to Be on the Bad Boy List” – BIS Under Secretary Alan Estevez Hints at Tough Export Control Actions

Posted on by China Tech Threat
At an event promoting the launch of the Global Tech Security Commission – a project of the Atlantic Council and the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy – former State Department Under Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs Keith Krach interviewed Alan Estevez, currently the Commerce Department’s Under Secretary Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). In what he described as “my coming out party” since being confirmed as Under Secretary on March 31st, Estevez conveyed that his job really could be titled “chief technology protection officer of the United States.” While acknowledging that Russia remains a challenge, Estevez made clear that his major focus is “China, China, China.” His top long term priority is to “stop them from using our technology… Read More

CTT Quick Cut: BIS Is at an “Inflection Point,” Should “Rebalance Economics and Security”

Posted on by China Tech Threat
Last week Congress confirmed Alan Estevez to serve as Undersecretary of Commerce for Industry and Security, finally filling the top post at the “most important agency most Americans have never heard of.” Mr. Estevez’s confirmation comes at a critical juncture, and he inherits a full slate of issues to address. China Tech Threat Co-Founder Dr. Roslyn Layton was joined by Kevin Wolf, former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration, and Dr. Derek Scissors, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, for the latest CTT Quick Cut, “Competing Views on the Future of BIS,” where Mr. Estevez and the agency’s priorities were the focus of discussion. Setting an Agenda at BIS Mr. Estevez needs to take the lead on setting… Read More

China Tech Threat Applauds Confirmation of Alan Estevez to Lead BIS

Posted on by China Tech Threat
China Tech Threat applauds the confirmation of Alan Estevez to lead the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), which is the most important agency most Americans have never heard of. Mr. Estevez brings unprecedented experience to the role with some 30 years in defense, supply chain, and logistics. It has been 5 years since there was a confirmed BIS Director, and 9 months since Mr. Estevez was nominated. The clock has been ticking, and as Mira Ricardel, former Deputy National Security Advisor and BIS Under Secretary for Export Administration, told us, “The only parties that benefit from a lack of senior leadership at BIS are our adversaries.” China Tech Threat Co-Founder Roslyn Layton, PhD welcomed the news… Read More

The Clock is Ticking: #VoteEstevezNow

Posted on by China Tech Threat
This week China Tech Threat (CTT) launched a new campaign around the urgency for the Senate to confirm the next Director of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). It has been five years since the last confirmed BIS Director and seven months since President Biden nominated Alan Estevez, a national security veteran, to take the post. We’ve written extensively about the importance of BIS, calling it the most important agency most Americans have never heard of. Tasked with ensuring an effective export control system to promote America’s strategic technology leadership, the agency and its leaders play an important role in the U.S. government’s response to China’s unabashed ambition to dominate semiconductor and other critical technology… Read More