U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is renewing the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Export Manifest for Vessel Cargo Test, a National Customs Automation Program (NCAP) test concerning ACE export manifest capability. The ACE Export Manifest for Vessel Cargo Test is a voluntary test in which participants agree to submit export manifest data to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) electronically at least twenty-four hours prior to loading of the cargo onto the vessel in preparation for departure from the United States.
The Ninth annual Nordic-Baltic + U.S. Cyber Consultation (NB8 + U.S.) met in Tallinn, Estonia on May 28. U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Cyberspace Security Liesyl Franz led the U.S. delegation and advocated the United States’ International Cyberspace and Digital Policy Strategy.
Twelve GOP lawmakers sent a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen calling on the Office of Foreign Assets Control and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to investigate six People's Republic of China (PRC) companies, including two of the largest oil companies in the PRC. .The apparent intent is to discourage US investors from owning shares in the firms, several of which are included in East Asian Stock Indexes.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers are urging President Biden to act on a new law allowing him to seize frozen Russian assets and give them to Ukraine for reconstruction ahead of the G7 finance ministers’ meeting. The lawmakers asked for a briefing by June 1 on the progress of talks being led by the National Security Council to encourage G7 and European Union partners to find creative mechanisms for using Russian sovereign funds frozen in their respective jurisdictions.
Wednesday the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed H.R. 8315, the “Enhancing National Frameworks for Overseas Critical Exports Act” (ENFORCE Act) 43-3, with broad bipartisian support. Introduced by Rep. Michael McCaul, the bill expands the authority of the BIS to control the export of Artificial Intelligence Systems.
A report from the GAO notes the challenges facing nonproliferation safeguards efforts due to limited funding if the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) and a growing set of threat opportunities.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen convened with German bankers on Tuesday. The roundtable discussion focused on global macroeconomic trends, the risks to financial security, and the impact of multilateral sanctions against Russia. She asked bankers to be more proactive in their adherence to sanctions restrictions, and to impress the same upon their affiliates and correspondents. In remarks to the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management the day prior, Yellen defended the Boden Administrations efforts to rebuild the transatlantic alliance. "Put simply, the transatlantic alliance has delivered for Americans, Europeans, and many others. And the United States has been committed to advancing it—through multilateralism, most notably through the G7, NATO, and U.S. relations with the EU—and through bilateral relationships between the U.S. and European countries, including, of course, with Germany.
At the opening of the AI Seoul Summit, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo released a strategic vision for the U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (AISI), describing the department’s approach to AI safety. Raimondo also shared the department’s plans to work with a global scientific network for AI safety through meaningful engagement with AI Safety Institutes and other government-backed scientific offices.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) and three House Democrats criticized the Commerce Department for what they say are inadequate steps to address assault weapons exports. At the same time, the lawmakers praised the US Trade Representative’s Office for no longer classifying as trade barriers import license requirements for explosives, firearms and ammunition in its latest National Trade Estimate report.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee held a markup to consider various measures on Thursday, May 16th.
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 Liberation Army (PLA). Georgia Tech is home to the Georgia Tech Research Institute, whose mission is to solve national security problems with the Department of Defense.
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.