A bill has been introduced in Congress to close a loophole in U.S. export control laws that is being exploited by China, according to its sponsors. The Remote Access Security Act will ensure …
House China Hawks introduced the “Enhancing National Frameworks for Overseas Critical Exports Act” (ENFORCE Act), modifying the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (ECRA) The ENFORCE Act amends ECRA to give BIS the authority to export control-covered AI systems.
A bipartisian group of lawmakers has introduced BIOSECURE Act, a bill to ensure American patient data and taxpayer dollars do not fall into the hands of foreign adversaries' biotechnology companies of concern by prohibiting Federal contracting with these companies. The Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) national security laws require all Chinese firms to share any requested data with the CCP, including biotechnology companies that collect, test, and store American genomic data.
Congressional Republicans are demanding answers from Georgia Tech regarding its partnership with Tianjin University, a Chinese university with significant ties to the Chinese military, the People's …
A bipartisan group of senators have introduced legislation aimed at expanding the Australia- United Kingdom-United States partnership to include Japan in order to combat the growing threat of China. The Coordinating AUKUS Engagement with Japan Act directs the two AUKUS coordinators at the U.S. Departments of State and Defense to engage with Japan, and consult with counterparts in the U.K. and Australia, at technical level to better understand how Japan could augment the partnership and what steps Japan might need to take in order to engage quickly and meaningfully in AUKUS advanced technology projects.
U.S. International Development Finance Corp. Chief Executive Scott Natan met with the House Foreign Affairs Committee Tuesday to discuss the "DFC's Efforts to Out Compete China's Belt & Road Initiative," as the committee looks to prepare funding for FY 2025. Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC) cautioned members against viewing the DFC only as a tool to promote rivalry with the PRC. "We cannot be seen as a reliable partner if our motivations are viewed only through the prism of some great power competition, or if we only show up when we need something.
US businesses with suppliers located in China’s Xinjiang region cannot rely on social audits to confirm whether forced labor in being used in their supply chains, a top Administration labor official told lawmakers in an April 30 hearing. . “Social audits in China should not be seen as an authoritative source for companies reflecting on-the-ground human rights conditions,”Deputy Undersecretary of Labor for International Affairs Thea Lee said.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jim Risch (R-ID) sent a letter to President Biden urging him to reject a proposal to waive U.S. sanctions imposed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in order to allow a French-owned company, Électricité de France (EDF), to engage in civil nuclear projects with Rosatom, Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy company.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury and IRS released final rules on the clean vehicle provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act. The rules update taxpayer and vehicle eligibility for the credit for new clean vehicles and the previously-owned clean vehicle credit. The rules also address the critical minerals and battery components requirements and Foreign Entity of Concern (or “excluded entity”) restriction that were added to the clean vehicle credit by the IRA.
In testimony before the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control last week, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson Before the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control directed lawmakers attention to Chinese money laundering organizations (CMLOs). CMLOs offer several advantages for illicit actors. These money launderers are insular, decentralized, and rely on interpersonal relationships among the Chinese diaspora to conduct business, making them difficult for law enforcement to penetrate.
Responding to reports the company has secretly funded research at US universities through an independent foundation, new chairman of the House Select Committee on China Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich) is taking aim at Chinese telecoms giant Huawei. The research funding is a way for China to steal US innovations, the chairman said. The Administration should suspend all export licenses to Huawei and consider other steps such as placing the company on the Specifically Designated National list, he stated.
The New Chairman of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) promises to continue the Committee's role as a spotlight, though perhaps with less candlepower than his predecessor, retiring Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI)
The European Parliament has given its final approval to a new regulation enabling the EU to prohibit the sale, import, and export of goods made using forced labour. Originally proposed in 2021, the rulemaking had been stymied by resistance from industry groups, with the final result lacking much of the efficacy of the US version, the Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo and Kenyan Cabinet Secretary of Information, Communication and the Digital Economy Eliud Owalo "affirmed their shared priorities for strengthening the digital economy, promoting innovation, and increasing digital trade and investment between the United States and Kenya," according to a readout from the Commerce Department, At the Wednesday meeting the principals "reaffirmed their intention to cooperate on establishing interoperable privacy regimes and facilitating trusted cross-border data flows." Later Secretary Raimondo hosted a roundtable discussion with several leading women technology leaders in Kenya to "discuss the Biden-Harris Administration’s Digital Transformation with Africa initiative"
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division announced the outlines of a voluntary self-disclosure progam in a statement Monday …
Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI) Brian Nelson will travel to San Juan, Puerto Rico from April 23 – 25 " to discuss "key illicit finance issues," according to a statement. Treasury has identified increased risks in Puerto Rico due to the existence of Puerto Rican financial entities, or PRFEs – chartered and licensed by territorial authorities, which present money laundering vulnerabilities because of their offshore banking business models.
A new report from the House Select Committee on China found that US financial institutions have facilitated investment of more than $6.5 billion to 63 Chinese companies that the US government has red-flagged or blacklisted for advancing Beijing’s military capabilities or supporting its human rights abuses.
The USTR has requested a Rapid Response Labor Mechanism (RRM) panel under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to resolve a labor dispute at call center operator Atento Servicios, S.A. de C.V. . At the conclusion of its 45-day review period, Mexico found a denial of rights had existed, but determined that Atento Servicios had taken the necessary actions to remediate the denial of rights during Mexico’s review period. The United States disagrees with this determination and is requesting establishment of an RRM panel to review the situation.
Airline industry and labor groups are calling for restrictions on Chinese Airline flights to the US, citing unfair competition. The groups have asked for a "pause" to additional passenger flights between the United States and China "until U.S. workers and businesses are guaranteed equality of access in the marketplace, free from the existing harmful anti-competitive policies of the Chinese government. "
As part of the United States and European Union Trade and Technology Council (TTC) Ministerial meeting, Ambassador Katherine Tai, United States Trade Representative, and Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Trade at the European Commission led the principals’ meeting of the U.S.-EU tripartite Trade and Labor Dialogue (TALD) on April 4.