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Washington D.C. – Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX), Lead Republican of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement on new rules announced today by the Department of Commerce that will strengthen controls on technology exports. In October, McCaul wrote a letter to Secretary Ross explaining the need for more robust export controls to stop China from using critical technologies for malign purposes. 

“I have long called for more effective controls on technologies that empower China’s Military-Civil Fusion initiative, a program that uses China’s commercial sector as an arm of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). This deceptive use of technology not only threatens the national security of the United States and our partners and allies, but also harms the integrity of the open international trading system.

“The new rules announced today give the U.S. government greater visibility and accountability in our technology trade with China and will help ensure critical U.S. technology, especially semiconductors, are not used to build up the PLA.”  

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