Location: The Heritage Foundation's Allison Auditorium

Last October, the U.S. Department of Commerce revised its export control rules to remove individual license requirements on certain dual use exports to China.  The new rules aim to "strike the right balance" between promoting U.S. exports and protecting U.S. national security.  That "balance" is struck in part by reviewing companies in China for their propensity to divert technology to China's military sector or to proliferate sensitive technology to rogue states. 

One area of concern with these new rules is the “validated end user” (VEU) status, which enables screened companies in China to import high-tech dual-use (military-civilian) U.S. equipment without individual licenses for each shipment.  At least two VEU designees, specifically BHA Aerocomposite Parts Co. and Shanghai Hua Hong NEC Electronics Co., have close ties to the Chinese military.  This raises questions.  Among them: Have the military-use and proliferation concerns been adequately addressed?   

Export control rules on dual-use technology and the VEU program have far reaching implications for both U.S. trade and security.  Getting it right is critically important.  Join us as Under Secretary of Commerce Mancuso describes USDOC’s export control policies and how they relate to China, followed by a panel discussion of the pros and cons of these Commerce Department efforts.