At a webinar today, Matthew Axelrod, Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), discussed various aspects of U.S. export controls as they relate to China.

Last month, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) at the Commerce Department added thirteen Chinese companies to its "unverified list," but one of these companies, Plexus (Xiamen) Co., Ltd., was able to get itself removed from that list.

Last week, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) proposed a Section 232 investigation that could lead to additional import restrictions on Chinese garlic for "security" reasons, and also proposed or put forward legislation to restrict or ban Chinese garlic and seafood imports.

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced new export control rules that target China's semiconductor and AI industry, expanding the parameters and patching "loopholes" of existing export controls on chips and manufacturing tools.

Last Friday, the U.S. Commerce Department added 42 Chinese companies to the Entity List "for providing support to Russia’s military and/or defense industrial base." This came after it added 11 Chinese firms a week earlier.

In reaction to recent reports of a new Huawei smartphone with advanced capabilities, member of Congress are pushing the U.S. Commerce Department to tighten semiconductor export controls even further.

The U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security sanctioned 31 Chinese entities, as well as some entities in a number of third countries on the basis of their ties to the Chinese military, putting these companies under tighter export control rules.