Senate

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

#VoteEstevezNow: Our Adversaries Benefit from the Senate’s Delay

Posted on by China Tech Threat
As the crisis in Ukraine continues, more eyes are turning towards China. Over the weekend, The Washington Post reported that Russia is seeking military equipment and aid from China. Eric Sayers, a former advisor to the U.S. Indo Pacific Command, is quoted by The Post as saying, “If Beijing is offering any type of military assistance to aid Moscow’s war in Ukraine, the spillover effects on U.S.-China policy could be vast.” Sayers added, “It would abruptly end debate about pathways to working with Beijing. More importantly, it would push Washington to accelerate retaliatory and decoupling actions toward China, and create new pressure on companies now doing business in China.” Companies like Lam Research, Applied Materials, and KLA Corporation – semiconductor… 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

Bipartisan Senate Letter Adds New Round of Pressure on Chinese Dronemaker DJI 

Posted on by China Tech Threat
Action to restrict Chinese Dronemaker DJI are coming from all corners of the U.S. government. The latest move comes from a bipartisan group of U.S. senators who are calling on the Department of Transportation to prohibit taxpayer-funded grants from being used to fund drones manufactured by companies controlled by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Use of these compromised drones could give the PRC access to images of our nation’s critical infrastructure that they capture.   In a letter to Secretary Buttigieg, Senators Peters (D-MI), Cortez Masto (D-NV), Blackburn (R-TN), Cornyn (R-TX), Murphy (D-CT), Rubio (R-FL), Scott (R-FL), Blumenthal (D-CT) and Kelly (D-AZ) call on DOT to prohibit any Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) grant funds to be used for drones manufactured by companies that are subject… Read More

Russia Tech Export Restrictions Have A Weakness: No BIS Leader Yet 

Posted on by China Tech Threat
The centerpiece of President Biden’s new round of Russia sanctions is a complete embargo on selling semiconductors to Russia. While the sanctions by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) will deliver a powerful punch to Russia, they also expose a weakness: BIS, the enforcer of export controls as tools for our national security strategy, has no leader at the top at this critical time.   President Biden nominated Alan Estevez to serve as Undersecretary for Industry and Security seven months ago, but Congress has not yet held a vote to confirm him. This already concerning vacancy at the top of “the most important agency most Americans have never heard of,” creates a glaring hole in the United States’ export control regime, hindering its… Read More

Next Week: “Give Alan Estevez Up-or-Down Vote” Special Series

Posted on by China Tech Threat
More than seven months after President Biden nominated Alan Estevez to serve as Undersecretary for Industry and Security, Mr. Estevez has yet to receive a confirmation vote in Congress. Next week China Tech Threat is launching a new special series, Give Alan Estevez an Up-or-Down Vote, meant to track the time this important post has been unfilled and highlight vulnerabilities the vacancy creates. The White House and Congress roundly agree that China’s ambitions to dominate emerging technology markets pose a serious threat to U.S. economic and national security interests. “If there’s any subject that unifies the most conservative Republican and the most liberal Democrat, it’s a deep skepticism of China and a motivation to ensure U.S. economic competitiveness,” CNBC reported… Read More