The Bureau of Industry and Security has withdrawn a final rule from interagency review that was set to make "revisions" to the Export Administration Regulations for "certain rare earth minerals and strategic metals." The agency sent the rule for interagency review July 10 and it was withdrawn Dec. 22.
The State Department is finalizing and making several changes to a 2024 AUKUS rule that created an exemption for defense trade among the U.S., Australia and the U.K., including one change that will create a new and separate exemption for exports to support the armed forces of the three nations. The agency also used the final rule to respond to a host of public comments from the 2024 change, declining several recommendations to limit the scope of the Excluded Technology List and providing more guidance about how the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls treats expedited licensing, who qualifies as an authorized user, and more.
Beijing last week criticized the Dec. 20 U.S. seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela (see 2512220044), calling it arbitrary and a violation of international law. "China stands against unilateral illicit sanctions that lack basis in international law or authorization of the UN Security Council, and against any move that violates the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, infringes upon other countries’ sovereignty and security, and constitutes unilateralism and bullying," a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in response to a reporter's question during a regular press conference. "Venezuela has the right to independently develop mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries. We believe Venezuela’s position of defending its legitimate rights and interests has the understanding and support of the international community."
South Korean prosecutors have charged multiple former Samsung employees with leaking sensitive advanced computing technology to Chinese semiconductor company ChangXin Memory Technologies, an alleged violation of the country’s Industrial Technology Protection Act, Korean newspaper The Chosun reported Dec. 24.
The State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is continuing an initiative that offers a $500 discount for certain registrants with DDTC, the agency announced last week.
Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Reps. Adriano Espaillat and Yvette Clarke, both New York Democrats, introduced a bill this month to prohibit most U.S. exports of natural gas.
Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, led a group of 27 congressional Democrats in urging the Commerce Department’s Office of Inspector General on Dec. 17 to investigate whether Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has engaged in a conflict of interest by advocating for AI data center projects that reportedly benefit his family business, financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald.
The Energy Department plans to examine a recent congressional report that says many DOE-funded research projects have been conducted with Chinese entities the U.S. government has placed on restricted lists for their ties to China’s military or role in human rights abuses, a department spokesperson said Dec. 22.
Reps. Martin Stutzman, R-Ind., and Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., led more than 100 House Republicans Dec. 19 in calling for increased oversight of Syria following the repeal of a sanctions law targeting that country. The lawmakers said they want to ensure that Syria’s new government protects the country’s religious and ethnic minorities.
Sens. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., announced Dec. 21 that they have introduced a bill to close a “loophole” that has allowed China to use cloud service providers to access advanced U.S. chips remotely.