Senior US official praises China’s cooperation on export controls for technology transfers

‘End-use checks’ have improved since the pandemic, but pending congressional legislation is keeping mainland firms in limbo

Reading Time:2 minutes

Matthew Axelrod (right), US assistant secretary for export enforcement at the Department of Commerce, speaks at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington on Thursday, with William Reinsch of CSIS.

Published: 3:40am, 13 Sep 2024Updated: 4:47am, 13 Sep 2024

A senior American official on Thursday lauded improved cooperation with the Chinese government on export controls meant to prevent the transfer of sensitive technologies to the mainland.

Since the end of coronavirus lockdowns in China, mainland authorities have been more helpful in conducting “end-user checks” on companies that buy products sold by US firms, said Matthew Axelrod, assistant secretary for export enforcement at the US Commerce Department.

These US firms are under greater pressure to ensure the technologies they develop are not used for military purposes, explained Axelrod, in a discussion at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.

“I think what got our end-use checks unstuck in China was the threat of their companies going on our Unverified List and then on the Entity List because that makes it harder for them to get US items.”

Biden to introduce new restrictions on US investments in China, declares tech ‘emergency’

The Unverified List comprises foreign individuals or entities that the Commerce Department is unable to verify. Its Entity List identifies organisations and individuals believed to be involved or posing a significant risk of becoming involved in activities contrary to America’s national security or foreign-policy interests.